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Y
ears have passed, but memo-
ries of a disastrous explosion
at a hospital are still engraved
in the mind of many residents
of Hai Lang district in the central prov-
ince of Quang Tri. Hundreds of people
were waiting their turn when some of
their children playing nearby stumbled
across a cluster bomb. Four of them
died and many others were injured.
“I am still frightened now. At that
time, the explosion made my body very
hot, but I did not feel pain because my
body was heavily injured. I lost all sen-
sation,” says 15-year-old Ho Van Lai. “I
now still feel scared whenever I see a
similar location.”
In July 2009, 12-year-old Dao Ba
Thanh and his two brothers found a num-
ber of bombs on a hill, also in Hai Lang.
The children immediately lost their lives
when they tried to smash the ordnance,
which exploded. Thanh lost his legs and
one arm, while the remainder of his body
was peppered with shrapnel. The other
two children were also badly maimed.
Nearby, more bombs were found.
Decades after the American War,
explosive remnants remain a major
threat. The presence of unexploded
ordnances (UXOs) is widespread, re-
stricting access to natural resources,
and affecting the construction of hous-
ing, roads and other infrastructure.
Adding to the danger, much of the
land contaminated with explosives is
used for agriculture while the collection
of explosive remnants for scrap metal
compounding the issue. Poor people
try to disarm the unexploded bombs,
but they lack the knowledge and skills
to do it safely.
The victim may be a child on the
way to school, a farmer diligently work-
ing on his field, workers at a metal waste
plant, or those making a living via the
use of homemade explosive detectors.
Tran Van Dieu was the only survivor
of an explosion caused by UXO in Quang
Tri. She says: “I heard a big bang and was
knocked unconscious. My cousins were
all killed. Their bodies were torn apart.
They had to pick up each small piece and
put them into four coffins.”
According to a survey jointly con-
ducted by Vietnam Veterans of America
Foundation (VVAF) and the Vietnam
Ministry of Defence’s Technology Cen-
tre for Bomb and Mine Disposal (BOMI-
CEN), the provinces of Quang Binh and
Quang Tri, which are located next to
the former demilitarized zone, have the
highest number of deaths and injuries
caused by UXO, at nearly 6,000 and
nearly 7,000 respectively.
In Vietnam, over 42,000 people
have died as a result of UXO, of whom
30 per cent were children. More than
100,000 people have been injured,
greatly pressuring family life and the
local economy and society. Each year
sees 1,500 deaths and 1,300 injured.
According to the steering commit-
tee for the National Mine Action Pro-
gramme, known as Programme 504,
it is estimated that there are about
800,000 tonnes of UXO left from the
American War across 7.1 million hec-
tares of land which accounts for 21 per
cent of the country’s area.
At the present speed of mine clear-
ing, it will take about 300 years to make
the nation free of UXOs.
The VVAF report that the US military
claims 15 million tonnes of bombs, land-
mines, artillery shells and other devices
were used during the Vietnam War. Ac-
cording to Vietnam’s Ministry of Defence,
up to 5 per cent failed to explode.
In some areas, UXO lies on the
surface, but considerable quantities
also remain below ground, at depths
up to five metres, while some heavy
ordnance has been found at depths in
the 10-to-20 metre range.
The consequences of the contami-
nation are broad in terms of emotional
human suffering and the cost of treat-
ment and rehabilitation, plus the im-
pacts on socio-economic development
and the environment.
12
timeout
The American War may be long finished, but it continues to claim lives due to
the scourge of unexploded ordnances that still scatters the country. Words by
Thanh Thu
Peacetime casualties
SOCIETY AT LARGE
A massive bomb is unearthed in central Vietnam