A Japanese group supporting a pair of formerly conjoined Vietnamese twins born after the Vietnam War is collecting donations to send a specially equipped car that will provide medical services in the country's Tay Ninh Province.
The Group Wishing for Development of Viet and Duc, based in Fukui Prefecture, aims to collect 3 million yen by March so that it can send the vehicle to the province, located about 100 km northwest of Ho Chi Minh City.
During the war, the province was the scene of a hard-fought battle, during which massive amounts of defoliant were released by U.S. aircraft.
Local residents thought to be suffering from the aftereffects of the chemical agent cannot receive proper medical treatment as houses are scattered and roads are incomplete, the members said.
The group was formed to support Nguyen Viet and Nguyen Duc, born conjoined at the lower halves of their bodies, possibly due to effects of the released defoliant. The pair were separated by Japanese and Vietnamese doctors during a 1988 operation in Ho Chi Minh City.
Donations are accepted at postal checking account 7-35075 of the group "Beto-chan to Doku-chan no Hattatsu wo Negau Kai."