Quang Tri (VNA) – A ceremony was held in Dong Hacity, the central province of Quang Tri, on April 4 to mark the InternationalDay for Mine Awareness and Assistance in Mine Action.

The event, organised by the Vietnam NationalMine Action Centre and the provincial People’s Committee, attracted theparticipation of more than 1,000 people.

At the ceremony, organisers presented 30 gift packs todisadvantaged unexploded ordnance (UXO) victims to support their livelihoods. A bicycle parade alsotook place to convey messages aiming to raise the public’s mine awareness.

Earlier, a number of activities had been held inresponse to the International Mine Awareness Day (April 4) in Quang Tri,including UXO-related communications at local schools, an exhibition on UXOimpact addressing activities, and a UXO clearance drill.

Vietnam is one of the countries mostcontaminated with UXO. There are about 800,000 tonnes ofUXO left from wartime in the country. The area of land contaminated orsuspected to be contaminated with UXO totals some 6.13 million ha, accountingfor 18.71 percent of the country’s total area. UXO scatters across all the 63provinces and centrally-run cities, but most of those bombs and landminesconcentrate in the central region.

Since 1975 – when the war against the UScompletely ended, UXO explosions have killed more than 40,000 people andinjured 60,000 others, most of whom were breadwinners and children.

Over the past years, Vietnam has gainedconsiderable achievements in the support for UXO victims, including providing orthopaedicsurgeries and rehabilitation for the victims; assisting the victims inlivelihoods, vocational learning and employment seeking; and ensuring that theybenefit from social welfares.

Quang Tri is one of the most UXO-pollutedlocalities in Vietnam as it was the fiercest battlefield during the war. Asurvey in 2017 by the Ministry of National Defence shows that nearly 82 percentof this province’s area is contaminated with UXO. Nearly 8,540 local residentshave become UXO victims since 1975.

To address UXO consequences, the province hasreceived international assistance in the work since 1996, clearing 9,174ha ofland and deactivating over 538,000 bombs, mines and other explosives. More than161,000 primary and high school students have also received UXO education.

As a result, UXO accidents in Quang Tri havereduced, bringing down the annual number of victims from about 70 between 2001and 2005 to two in 2017. Notably, the province did not record any UXO victimsin 2018. It is aiming to become the first locality in Vietnam to be free ofpost-war UXO impact in 2025.-VNA