(VOVworld) - The Vietnam Veterans of America Foundation under the International Centre and the Geneva International Centre for Humanitarian Demining have jointly held a conference in Hanoi on overcoming post-war bomb and mine aftermath.

Until 2000, about 100,000 people killed or wounded in Vietnam by unexploded ordnance left from the war (Photo: VOV))

Representatives from diplomatic, international, and non-governmental agencies on Wednesday praised achievements by the Vietnamese government and people in the field over the past years. They pledged continued support for Vietnam’s targets and policies to surmount bomb and mine consequences. Deputy Minister of Labor, Invalids, and Social Affairs Bui Hong Linh called for more international and domestic assistance for the program, especially social welfare in bomb and mine strewn areas. Linh said ‘We need about 700 million USD to support the implementation of projects to help bomb and mine victims integrate into the community and increase communications for local people, particularly children, to prevent bomb and mine accidents. We need a huge amount of money to disarm mines, explosives, and ordnance for land clearance to build public works. A center for information management related to bomb and mine aftermaths will be put into operation soon.’

Since the war ended, more than 100,000 people have been killed or wounded in Vietnam by unexploded ordnance left from the war.