The ceremony to mark the start of the project of the Korea-Việt Nam Mine Action for the Peace Villages. — VNA/VNS Photo

BÌNH ĐỊNH — The Korea-Việt Nam Mine Action for the Peace Villages has been officially launched.

The project is being managed by the Việt Nam National Mine Action Centre and funded with more than US$14 million from the Korean Government's non-refundable ODA.

It will be in operation until December 2026, covering the three provinces of Thừa Thiên-Huế, Quảng Ngãi and Bình Định.

Aimed at overcoming the consequences of post-war bombs and mines, it will protect people in the local community, contribute to promoting local socio-economic development and help to create harmonious, safe and prosperous rural communities in Việt Nam.

Under the project, Vietnamese agencies will be better able to deal with the consequences of landmines and bombs in Việt Nam, enforcing regulations related to support for victims of mines, explosives and people with disabilities. They will also continue to survey 15,000ha of land and clear more than 6,000ha of mines and explosives in the three provinces.

Money from the organisation will also be spent on support for those who have been injured by bombs, mines and explosives and people with disabilities in the project areas, with other funds used to review how victims are currently helped and supported.

Speaking at the project's opening ceremony, organised by the Việt Nam National Mine Action Centre (VNMAC) in co-ordination with the Korea International Co-operation Agency in Việt Nam (KOICA), the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) and the People's Committee of Bình Định Province, Senior Lieutenant General Hoàng Xuân Chiến, deputy minister of National Defence thanked the support of the Government and people of Korea.

There remain in Việt Nam around 5.6 million hectares of land contaminated with mines and explosives left over after the war, Chiến said.

The Prime Minister has approved the national action programme of overcoming post-war mine consequences for the period 2010-25, aiming to mobilise all national and international resources to speed up the progress of mine clearance, he said.

Bình Định, Quảng Ngãi and Thừa Thiên-Huế are three of many provinces prioritised for the programme.

When the project is completed, people in those areas should be able to live and do business safely, contributing to the socio-economic development of the localities, he added.

At the ceremony, Deputy Chairman of the Bình Định People’s Committee Nguyễn Tự Công Hoàng said that around 40 per cent of the province's land has been contaminated with a total area of ​​nearly 250,000ha.

The Việt Nam - Korea co-operation project to overcome the consequences of post-war bombs and mines was implemented in the province from 2018 to 2021.

The provincial People's Committee has asked for a coordinated effort with the Project Management Board to conduct a technical survey on an area of 10,700ha of land, of which nearly 4,800ha has already been identified as having bombs and mines. More than 4,200ha has already been cleared, with nearly 68,000 bombs and explosives safely destroyed, Hoàng said.

Bình Định Province has organised several workshops, training, guidance and reviewed and collected information on bomb and mine victims, identifying more than 26,800 people in need of support.

In addition, the provincial authorities have coordinated with localities to train commune-level individuals and organise programmes to raise awareness for residents in order to prevent bomb and mine accidents in the area and implement the 'Mine Safe Schools' Campaign specifically aimed at educating school children in the province. VNS