Survey of Unexploded Ordnance Areas Completed in Quang Tri Province

Members of all technical survey teams pose for a group photo in Tan Thanh commune, Huong Hoa district. Source: NPA Vietnam

Norwegian People’s Aid (NPA) in Vietnam on April 18 announced that it concluded the Cluster Munition Remnant Survey (CMRS) of all accessible areas in the central province of Quang Tri.

Specifically, NPA Vietnam has identified a total of 1.270 hazardous areas with a total land coverage of 615 sq. km contaminated with cluster bombs. Some 173 sq. km have been cleared by international non-governmental organisations and the provincial military high command, and the a total of 442 km2 Confirmed Hazardous Areas (CHA) are being categorised for future removal.

The survey was carried out by NPA Vietnam, the Restoring the Environment and Neutralising the Effects of the War (RENEW) project, the Mines Advisory Group (MAG) and PeaceTrees Vietnam (PTVN) which also engaged in the clearance of landmines with funding from the US Department of State.

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.

NPA has since the start of Non-Technical Survey (NTS) and Technical Survey in 2015, defined a total of 1,270 confirmed hazardous areas (CHAs), covering a land area of 615 km2. Photo: VNA

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.

With a very high level of damage, cluster bombs left over from the war have caused 48.3% of the accidents in Quang Tri since 1975.

Map illustrating the progress of CHA clearance by INGOs as of 16 April 2023. Source: NPA Vietnam

According to the provincial Mine Action Centre, bombs, mines and unexploded ordnance (UXO) have caused casualties to 8,584 people since 1975, including 3,363 deaths. Among the total casualties, children under 16 years old accounted for 31%.

Quang Tri aims to become the first province in the country to be “safe” from UXO by 2025, reported by NPA Vietnam

NPA Vietnam and Quang Tri Mine Action Centre will hold final review of CMRS progress/outputs and the final CMRS completion report will be presented in Quang Tri on May 22, 2023.

Hannah Nguyen

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