Ambassador Bonnie Denise Jenkins, US Under Secretary of State for Arms Control and International Security Affairs (left), visits a bomb and mine disposal site in Triệu Sơn Commune on Friday. — VNA/VNS Photo Thanh Thuỷ

QUẢNG TRỊ — Ambassador Bonnie Denise Jenkins, US Under Secretary of State for Arms Control and International Security Affairs, paid a working trip to the central province of Quảng Trị on Friday to learn about its post-war recovery.

Vice Chairman of the provincial People’s Committee Hoàng Nam presented results of the cooperation between Quảng Trị and international and foreign non-profit organisations in addressing the consequences of bombs and mines left from war.

He said according to a report by the Vietnamese Defence Ministry in 2017, Quảng Trị was the province most affected by bombs and mines, which scattered across 81.36 per cent of the province’s land area. From 1996 till July 2022, the province raised over US$146.6 million from international and foreign non-profit organisations for post-war mine clearance, and so far 275.85 million sq.m have been cleared.

Since 1996, the US Government has assisted Quảng Trị in clearing bombs and mines, building schools for the disabled and medical stations, and improving emergency response capacity at a total cost of around $91.1 million.

Nam asked the US Department of State to continue funding clearance projects in Quảng Trị via foreign non-profit organisations, helping the province improve the capacity of coordinating bomb and mine clearance, and launch projects in support of Agent Orange victims.

Jenkins said she wished to work more closely with the locality to address bomb and mine consequences, while praising women’s role in the effort.

During the trip, Jenkins visited a mine disposal site in Triệu Sơn Commune, Triệu Phong district, the Office of the Peace Trees Việt Nam, and held a working session with the Quảng Trị Mine Action Centre. — VNS