Home Viet Nam Human Rights » home » political-social » Decades after war, Vietnam threatened by 800,000 tons of explosives

Decades after war, Vietnam threatened by 800,000 tons of explosives

5/4/18
Unexploded ordnance from the Vietnam War are unearthed in Vietnam's central province of Quang Tri.


Authorities say it may take more than a century to clear the country of the deadly legacy of war.

The Vietnam War ended more than 40 years ago, but around 800,000 tons of unexploded ordnance remains scattered across the country, official government data shows.
Vietnam is one of the most heavily contaminated countries in the world when it comes to explosives, the National Steering Committee on Overcoming Post-War Unexploded Ordnance and Toxic Chemical Consequences said last weekend in Hanoi.
The central region is the worst affected area, with mines and bombs covering up to 6.1 million hectares (over 15 million acres) of land, accounting for 18.7 percent of the country’s total contaminated area.
In some provinces, explosives cover up to 80 percent of the land.
Between 1945 and 1975, during two wars with French and American invaders, more than 15 million tons of explosives were dropped on Vietnam; four times higher than the amount used in World War II.
With support from the international community, Vietnam is clearing an average of 40,000-50,000 hectares per year, but it still might take as long as 100 years to rid the country of this deadly legacy.
According to government data, a fifth of land in Vietnam is contaminated with unexploded ordnance, and explosions occur frequently. More than 1,500 people are killed every year, while another 2,200 are maimed.
Many are killed by inadvertantly triggering the devices, while others die trying to cut open the bombs to resell the explosives and scrap metal.
Chia sẻ bài viết ^^
Other post

All comments [ 10 ]


Voice of people 5/4/18 20:56

The war is long over, but the fight seems never-ending for the dozens of mine-clearance experts

For A Peace World 5/4/18 20:59

these deadly devices are still killing people on a daily basis.

Vietnam Love 5/4/18 21:01

Vietnam has suffered a lot from the war

Socialist Society 5/4/18 21:03

Vietnam is the place to go to understand the madness and the violence of the American bombings

Me Too! 5/4/18 21:07

Vietnam since the war ended, but the best estimates are at least 105,000, including 40,000 deaths.

yobro yobro 5/4/18 21:09

Most of the victims are poor farmers

Red Star 5/4/18 21:11

Day after day, in the muddy rice fields and in every corner of every village, they seek out and destroy these lethal pieces of rusted metal.

John Smith 5/4/18 21:13

No doubt that today, they will find more

Gentle Moon 5/4/18 21:16

It has been estimated that it will take 300 years to clear the land of Vietnam of all the weapons dropped and left behind so many years ago

LawrenceSamuels 5/4/18 21:18

Across Vietnam, unexploded ordnance still threatens a fifth of the country’s land mass decades after the Vietnam War ended

Your comments