Chile's president vows to help victims of Agent Orange in Vietnam

Chilean President Michelle Bachelet had a productive day with her Vietnamese counterpart Tran Dai Quang during an official state visit on Thursday. One of the agreements she signed is aimed at helping children and adolescent victims of Agent Orange.

Between 2.1 to 4.8 million Vietnamese citizens were directly exposed to Agent Orange and other chemicals sprayed by the U.S. Army during the Vietnam War. The Vietnamese Association of Victims of Agent Orange believes there are tens of thousands of third-generation victims of dioxin in the country.

At the meeting, Bachelet also pay her condolences to the victims of Typhoon Damrey, which struck central Vietnam on Saturday killing at least 109 people, according to government data.

Both leaders also agreed to deepen ties in various areas, including peaceful and law-abiding solutions for sovereignty disputes, in the South China Sea, known in Vietnam East Sea.

Bachelet arrived in Hanoi on Wednesday and is set to leave for the APEC Summit in Da Nang on Thursday night.

She also invited Quang to visit Chile at a later date.

Bachelet, 66, was the first woman to be appointed president of Chile in 2006. After losing her reelection bid in 2010, she regained the position in 2014.

Vietnam and Chile signed a free trade agreement at the beginning of 2014.

Bilateral trade reached $1.03 billion last year, with Vietnam holding a $740.4 million trade surplus, according to official figures.