The Vietnam National Mine Action Centre (VNMAC), in coordination with the Norwegian People's Aid (NPA) Vietnam, held a meeting in Hanoi on November 17 to review the second phase of a technical survey project in the central province of Thua Thien-Hue.

Delegates at the meeting review post-war bomb and mine clearance in Vietnam.

The VNMAC Technical Survey Project is the joint project between VNMAC and NPA Vietnam, funded by the US Department of State's Bureau of Political-Military Affairs (PM/WRA). The project, implemented from January to October this year, aimed to survey 244 spots and 163 areas to identify Confirmed Hazardous Areas (CHA), conduct an efficient and cost effective land release approach in eight communes in A Luoi district of Thua Thien Hue utilizing non-technical and technical survey, and to report it to the national database.

Following 12 months of work, the project has completed 16 tasks, with 910.5 hectares of land surveyed, and 619 items of explosive handled. The result was thanks to the hard work of the teams and supportive cooperation from Thua Thien-Hue province and A Luoi district.

The VNMAC proposed ending the second phase and building the third phase of the project. It also asked for permission to perfect the technical methods for use in mine clearance activities across the country.

The wars in Vietnam have ended for a long time, but the amount of post-war unexploded ordnance (UXO) has been extremely large, contaminating about 6.13 million hectares of land, accounting for 18.71% of national land area, posing a threat to local people’s life, and directly impacting on social security and the country’s development.

Between 1945 and 1975, the volume of bombs, mines, and ordnance used by foreign countries in the wars in Vietnam was 15 million tonnes, four times as many as the volume used in the World War II.

Thua Thien - Hue is one of the provinces with highest level of landmines contamination in the country, with more than 170,400ha (accounting for 35% of the province's total area).

About 70km to the west of Hue city, A Luoi mountainous district is located on the Ho Chi Minh Trail which served as an important artery for the Northern Vietnamese Army to transport weapons and personnel during the war.