23/02/2022 Vietnam
“If you ever come across anything suspicious like this item, please do not pick it up, contact your local law enforcement agency for assistance”
By Hoang Thuy
Vietnam targets to remove unexploded ordnance (UXO) from 75,000 hectares of land annually to soon clear 5.6 million hectares of contaminated land. “For the 2021-2025 period, we will drastically direct the process of demining to achieve the target of screening 500,000 hectares (1.24 million acres) and cleaning around 75,000 hectares per year,” said Deputy Minister of National Defense Hoang Xuan Chien. The new targets are 50 percent higher than previously, he told a Thursday meeting in Hanoi to conclude the National Action Program for Overcoming the Impact of Post-War Bombs and Mines. Before the program was launched in 2010, Vietnam had 6.1 million hectares of land that remained infested with mines and other explosives from the Vietnam War (1955-1975), accounting for 18.82 percent of the country’s total land area. In 2010-2020, almost 50,000 hectares had been cleared at a total cost of more than VND12.6 trillion, with over VND10.4 trillion derived from Vietnam’s budget and the rest from non-refundable foreign aid. Addressing the meeting, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh said the results have not “met expectations.” The area of land contaminated with UXO in Vietnam remains large, 5.6 million hectares, while Vietnam’s resources are limited. Therefore, it is necessary to strengthen international cooperation, he said. “I’d like to express my sincere gratitude to the governments of other countries and international organizations for accompanying Vietnam in overcoming the consequences of war in general and dealing with bombs and mines in particular,” said the PM. Attending the event, U.S. Ambassador to Vietnam Marc Evans Knapper said the U.S. pledges to continue supporting Vietnam to remove all UXO from the war.
Tuy đã trải qua thời gian dài vùi sâu dưới lòng đất nhưng chúng vẫn cực kỳ nguy hiểm, có thể phát nổ và gây thiệt hại đến tính mạng, tài sản của nhân dân bất cứ lúc nào.
Dear editors, Biography of a bomb is aimed at highlighting the danger caused by unexploded bombs. Moreover, the most important aspect is that we work completely non profit, raising awerness about this topic is what drives us. We apologize if we make use of pictures in yours articles, but we need them to put a context in how findings are done. We will (and we always do) cite source and author of the picture. We thank you for your comprehension.
