(VOVWORLD) - An estimated 800,000 tons of bombs and mines still remain scattered across Vietnam after the war.
 At the press conference informing post-war bomb and mine recovery (Photo: VOV) |
The total area contaminated or suspected of being contaminated with mines is 6.1 million hectares, more than 18% of Vietnam’s area, according to a press conference in Hanoi on Tuesday on post-war bomb and mine recovery in response to the International Day for Mine Awareness and Assistance in Mine Action on Tuesday.
Major General Nguyen Thanh Dinh, Deputy Chairman of the Vietnam Association for Mine Remediation Support, said that the consequences of bombs and mines left in Vietnam are huge.
“Landmine accidents are reported quite frequently in Vietnam. Therefore, the Party and State are determined to increase resources to overcome the consequences of bombs, mines, and unexploded ordnance so people are safer and have more space for construction,” said Dinh.
The Vietnam National Mine Action Center (VNMAC) has organized communication activities in response to the International Day for Mine Awareness and Assistance in Mine Action, participated in mine action activities held by the United Nations, Southeast Asia, and international organizations, implemented projects on demining and information management in overcoming the consequences left by bombs and mines, and provided high-level technical advisors for the National Mine Action Center.
Last year, as part of the National Action Program on Settling Consequences of Unexploded Ordnance between 2010 and 2020, Vietnam raised more than 500 million USD and cleared nearly 500,000 hectares of contaminated land for development.