Vietnam War’s lingering menace still threatens life and limb

Vietnam

More than 40,000 innocents have been killed by landmines and unexploded ordnance in the communist country

Three construction workers discovered an unexploded shell deep inside the ground while digging foundations for a new house in Vietnam’s Quang Tri province last month.

Le Phu Dinh, the owner of the house, called it a near-death experience for the workers and his family of 11. Digging with shovels, they initially felt it was a stone and thought of using an electric drill to break it into pieces.

But better sense prevailed and the 37-year-old father of two reported it to local authorities who dispatched a mine clearance team for inspection of the site.

Dinh and his family now recall with absolute horror how the stone turned out to be a military shell weighing 25 kilograms and measuring some 60 centimeters in length. It was removed safely on April 2.

The construction site of the family’s house is situated in Khe Sanh, an old American base that witnessed some of the fiercest fighting during the Vietnam War (1955-75).

Huynh Thi Sen, a member of the mine clearance group based in the province, recalled removing an ammunition store with over 400 unexploded mortar shells, mines and grenades beneath the foundations of three houses in Dong Ha, the capital of the province, in early March.

Nam said the province, which has some 1,000 workers trained in mine clearance, plans to remove all explosive ordnance with confirmed contamination by 2025

The ammunition store, spread over an area of 100 square meters, was likely abandoned by South Vietnam soldiers after the province was seized by communists in 1972, said 31-year-old Sen, who joined the mine clearance group of 63 including 15 women in 2019.

They work for Project RENEW (Restoring Environment and Neutralizing the Effects of the War), established in 2001 by the Quang Tri provincial government and international non-governmental organizations to reduce the number of deaths and injuries caused by cluster bombs and other munitions abandoned since the war ended on April 30, 1975.

On April 3, Hoang Nam, deputy of the People’s Committee of Quang Tri province, one of the country’s most heavily infected areas with unexploded ordnance, claimed that 25,000 hectares of contaminated land had been cleared and 770,000 explosive devices removed so far.

Nam said the province, which has some 1,000 workers trained in mine clearance, plans to remove all explosive ordnance with confirmed contamination by 2025.

He said tens of thousands of victims are given material support. Vietnam has recorded an estimated 40,000 deaths while reporting injuries to some 60,000 others due to unexploded ordnance left after the war.

“I always decline to buy those deadly munitions because I never forget the terrible death of my husband”

Huynh Van Nuoi from Cam Nghia commune of Cam Lo district said he lost his left leg to shrapnel while gardening in 1978.

Nuoi, 65, said his nephew died in a shell explosion while digging a gully in February. The shell was probably fired by northern guerrillas during the war. This was the latest incident in his commune where people have been haunted for decades by explosive ordnance.

The lottery ticket seller said he receives a living allowance of 720,000 dong (US$31) per month from the government.

Nguyen Thi Dang, a farmer from Gio Linh district, said her teenage son and his friend found a shell in the field while tending water buffaloes in June 2018. They brought it home while the families were away.

“The shell exploded, killing the boys outright. My son had only his head and innards left on a tree. That was the last time I saw my son. Since then we have been wondering why our innocent son died tragically young,” the 47-year-old mother said.

Nguyen Thi Hong, who trades used items for a living in Hai Lang district, said many local people make a living by scavenging the old battlegrounds for bullets and shells to sell as scrap. Those people have no jobs and live in poverty, so they do anything to put food on the table.

“I always decline to buy those deadly munitions because I never forget the terrible death of my husband,” Hong said. Her husband, a blacksmith, died while sawing a shell five years ago.

“Wars are crimes, so all people should work together closely to deal with war legacies and ensure that no one becomes victims like us in the future”

Thaddeus Le Ngoc Han in the neighboring province of Thua Thien Hue said in 2002 he scavenged for old munitions to support his family and lost his feet in a mine explosion. It took him 10 years to become used to walking on his knees.

“We are innocent victims of the war that ended nearly half a century ago. Wars are crimes, so all people should work together closely to deal with war legacies and ensure that no one becomes victims like us in the future,” said the 48-year-old father of one.

“I am extremely grateful to the local Catholics who offer me a wheelchair, 10 kilograms of rice every month, besides the financial support to build my house and sell lottery tickets for a living.” 

Lovers of the Holy Cross Sister Mary Truong Thi Bich Thao from Caritas in Hue said they provide war victims with wheelchairs and bikes besides helping them build houses and buy cattle, poultry and fish to raise for a living.

Sacred Heart Father Joseph Phan Tan Ho said every year his congregation based in Hue gives food, money and wheelchairs to some 200 disabled soldiers and other war victims from North and South Vietnam during the Lunar New Year and Catholic feasts.

Father Ho said the congregation provides victims with material and emotional support to make a living and integrate them into society. Their children are also given scholarships to study at public schools.

“We try our best to do useful things for our brothers and sisters who are innocent victims of wars,” he said.

Latest News