Huge Amount of Leftover Bombs, Mines Line Vietnam

It will take Vietnam a few more centuries to clear hundreds of thousands of tons of bombs, mines and unexploded ordnances (UXO) left over from the Vietnam War that ended in 1975, said Hoang Minh Hong, deputy director of the Vietnam Bomb and Mine Clearance Action Center.
He was speaking at a two-day international conference on advanced mine clearance equipment and technologies that ended in Hanoi on Nov 25.
Bombs, mines and UXO scatter over all 63 provinces and cities, said Major General Pham Quang Xuan, Commander of the Sappers, who is also deputy head of the National Steering Committee for Settling Consequences caused by UXO (Steering Board 504).
About 6.6 million hectares, or 20.12% of the country’s territory, are contaminated with bombs, mines and UXO, and the country needs about $10 billion to clear all of them, the committee said.
Last year, the country cleared about 50,000 hectares of land that contained bombs, mines and UXO, and at this rate, it will take the country centuries to clear all of them, Hong said.
The conference was held for foreign and local experts to present their advanced mine clearance equipment and technologies and treatment methods for UXO after detection.
They also reported on the challenges and progress in clearing mines, bombs and UXO in Vietnam and discussed advanced technologies applicable to the country.
The event was jointly held by the Vietnam Veterans of America Foundation (VVAF), the Geneva International Centre for Humanitarian Demining (GICHD), and the Steering Board 504.
Last year Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung approved a national action program for the 2010-2025 period to settle the consequences caused by UXO. The program aims to mobilize all possible resources to clear mines and bombs to serve the country’s socio-economic development, ensure safety for the citizens, and help integrate victims of mines and bombs into society. (tuoitrenews.vn Nov 26)