Soldiers based in the north-central province of Ha Tinh have defused a 450-kilogram war-era bomb, news website Dan Tri reported Thursday. The bomb was discovered during a search for unexploded ordnance (UXOs) at a cemetery in Ky Phuong Commune, Ky Anh District. It was likely dropped by the US military, Dan Tri said. After unearthing the bomb at a “great depth,” the 414 Engineer Corps removed it to its base to defuse it. UXOs left behind from the Vietnam War remain spread out across 6.6 million hectares of land, or more than a fifth of the country’s total area, according to official figures. Only 300,000 hectares have been cleared so far. Experts estimate it will take hundreds of years and billions of dollars to completely rid Vietnam of leftover bombs, shells, and mines. (Thanh Nien – Young People March 7)
