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The Quiet Lasting Impact of the Vietnam War on Children's Physical Development

Author

Listed:
  • Hiroyuki Yamada

    (Keio University)

  • TIEN MANH VU

    (Chuo University)

Abstract

This paper examines the long-term health impacts of the large-scale herbicide spraying campaign by the U.S. in southern Vietnam during the Vietnam War on the height and weight of children under the age of 16 years in 2022, nearly 50 years after the Vietnam War ended. We combine the information on the age- and gender-adjusted z-score for the height and weight of children in 2022 with the herbicide spraying intensity at commune-level during the war. Our results using an instrumental variable approach show that communes that were exposed to greater amounts of herbicides during the war tended to have shorter children in 2022. Not only Agent Orange but also Agent White had a negative impact on children’s height after half a century.

Suggested Citation

  • Hiroyuki Yamada & TIEN MANH VU, 2025. "The Quiet Lasting Impact of the Vietnam War on Children's Physical Development," Keio-IES Discussion Paper Series DP2025-017, Institute for Economics Studies, Keio University.
    • Handle: RePEc:keo:dpaper:dp2025-017
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Singhal, Saurabh, 2019. "Early life shocks and mental health: The long-term effect of war in Vietnam," Journal of Development Economics, Elsevier, vol. 141(C).
    2. Le, Duong Trung & Pham, Thanh Minh & Polachek, Solomon, 2022. "The long-term health impact of Agent Orange: Evidence from the Vietnam War," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 155(C).
    3. Jeanne Mager Stellman & Steven D. Stellman & Richard Christian & Tracy Weber & Carrie Tomasallo, 2003. "The extent and patterns of usage of Agent Orange and other herbicides in Vietnam," Nature, Nature, vol. 422(6933), pages 681-687, April.
    4. Miguel, Edward & Roland, Gérard, 2011. "The long-run impact of bombing Vietnam," Journal of Development Economics, Elsevier, vol. 96(1), pages 1-15, September.
    5. Vesco, Paola & Baliki, Ghassan & Brück, Tilman & Döring, Stefan & Eriksson, Anneli & Fjelde, Hanne & Guha-Sapir, Debarati & Hall, Jonathan & Knutsen, Carl Henrik & Leis, Maxine R. & Mueller, Hannes & , 2025. "The impacts of armed conflict on human development: A review of the literature," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 187(C).
    6. Vuong, Vu & Chang, Simon & Palmer, Michael, 2021. "Bombing and the Two Vietnams," IZA Discussion Papers 14443, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
    7. Sefa Awaworyi Churchill & Russell Smyth & Trong-Anh Trinh, 2022. "The Intergenerational Impacts of War: Bombings and Child Labour in Vietnam," Journal of Development Studies, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 58(11), pages 2290-2306, November.
    8. Thanh P. Bui & Katsushi S. Imai, 2024. "Are there any Long-lasting Human-Capital Effects from Exposure to the United States' Herbicide Bombings over Generations? Evidence from the Vietnam War," Discussion Paper Series DP2024-06, Research Institute for Economics & Business Administration, Kobe University.
    9. Michael Palmer & Cuong Viet Nguyen & Sophie Mitra & Daniel Mont & Nora Ellen Groce, 2019. "Long-lasting consequences of war on disability," Journal of Peace Research, Peace Research Institute Oslo, vol. 56(6), pages 860-875, November.
    10. Nobuaki Yamashita & Trong‐Anh Trinh, 2022. "Long‐Term Effects of Vietnam War: Agent Orange and the Health of Vietnamese People After 30 Years," Asian Economic Journal, East Asian Economic Association, vol. 36(2), pages 180-202, June.
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    JEL classification:

    • I15 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Health - - - Health and Economic Development
    • N45 - Economic History - - Government, War, Law, International Relations, and Regulation - - - Asia including Middle East
    • Z13 - Other Special Topics - - Cultural Economics - - - Economic Sociology; Economic Anthropology; Language; Social and Economic Stratification

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