Construction workers Saturday found a 350 kg intact bomb while excavating a site on Hanoi’s Cua Bac Street. 

The intact bomb, around a meter long with a 35 centimeter diameter, was buried 2 meters underground at the construction site for the headquarters of the Power Transmission Corporation No.1.

After an excavator dug and lifted the bomb above the ground, the workers placed it back and waited for further orders from authorities.

Local police soon cordoned off a 100-meter long section of Cua Bac Street in Truc Bach Ward, Ba Dinh District to prevent vehicles and people from entering the area. While some shops in the vicinity remained open, they had no customers.

Hanoi's High Command soldiers arrive at the construction site in Hanoi’s Ba Dinh
District on November 28, 2020, to inspect the bomb and arrange its disposal.
Photo acquired by VnExpress.

At around 9 p.m., soldiers of the capital’s High Command arrived at the site to inspect and organize the bomb’s disposal.

For the time being, the Ministry of National Defence has not ordered the evacuation of nearby households, said Ta Nam Chien, chairman of Ba Dinh District People's Committee.

This is the second large bomb to be found in the capital city in the last six months. In June, a 1.6 meter-long bomb was salvaged from the Red River near the historic Long Bien Bridge four days after it was discovered.

Hanoi was heavily bombed from 1965-1972 by the U.S. Air Force during the Vietnam War. In particular, during just one fortnight (December 18-30) in 1972, 36,000 tons of bombs were dropped on the city.