The mortar shells and grenades were discovered at a market construction site, an official said Monday.

The 60mm and 80mm mortar munition and grenades will be disposed of by officers of the Military Zone 7, which is in charge of military affairs in southeastern Vietnam.

The sappers of the 319 South Construction Investment Joint Stock Company under the Ministry of National Defense discovered two ammunition tunnels on November 15 after being hired to clear the ground to construct the market.

The two tunnels lay 60 centimeters to nearly two meters underground. Senior officials have said that there could be more unexploded ordnances (UXOs) in the residential areas built between 1985 and 1990, as they cover a lot of ground.

The site of the market used to house a garrison under the South Vietnam regime during the Vietnam War. Local authorities have repeatedly detected small quantities of mortar shells in this area.

Years after the end of the Vietnam War, UXOs continue to threaten the lives of Vietnamese people. According to the United Nations, bombs, landmines and artillery shells have killed 104,000 people in the country since 1975.