Members of the PeaceTrees Vietnam Explosive Ordnance Disposal team at the launch of a project to mitigate wartime bombs, mines and unexploded ordnance in Huế through 2030. Photos courtesy of PTVN

HUẾ — PeaceTrees Vietnam, a NGO in Việt Nam that works to address the dangers of wartime explosives, and the Huế City Union of Friendship Organisations officially launched a project to mitigate the consequences of wartime bombs, mines and unexploded ordnance in the central city through 2030.

PeaceTrees Vietnam (PTVN) said it plans clear landmines and unexploded ordnance (UXO) contamination from 450ha of land, while dealing with 1,500 emergency cases on landmines and UXOs during the implementation of the project.

Attendees at the project launch in Huế City.

PTVN representatives said the project members will respond to emergency calls about landmines and UXO from residents and work to clear them as well.

About 1,500 landmine and UXO awareness education classes will be held for 15,000 local residents on avoiding risks and accidents from unexpected UXO explosions, according to the organisation. A total of 38,000 residents are expected to benefit from the project.

PeaceTrees Vietnam – the first US-based NGO permitted to work in Việt Nam for this purpose – has been clearing UXO in the heavily bombarded former province of Quảng Bình (now Quảng Trị Province) for more than 30 years.

With the support of the US government through the Mine Action Programme in Quảng Trị, PTVN has located and safely disposed of more than 163,297 UXOs and returned over 6,057ha of safe land to local communities. The NGO has also delivered 23,484 explosive ordnance risk education sessions to more than 243,612 participants in contaminated areas.

In addition, PTVN actively supports survivors of explosive ordnance accidents, promotes community development in cleared areas and carries out a range of initiatives that help address the legacies of war.

Two members of PeaceTrees Vietnam check a wartime bomb at a site in central Việt Nam. They removed the bomb to destroy it at a safe location.

PTVN also provided explosive ordnance risk education to more than 230,000 people, mostly children, building 24 classrooms and kindergartens and reaching 6,400 children in remote and ethnic communities. It has also built two community centres, 100 family homes and 12 libraries, and awarded 4,200 scholarships to disadvantaged children, especially girls and children of UXO victims in Quảng Trị.

More than 1,277 volunteers, sponsors and diplomats have been brought to Việt Nam through exchange programmes, and more than 50,000 trees were planted on land once contaminated by the explosive remnants of war, PTVN said.

Founded in 1995 shortly after the normalisation of US-Việt Nam relations, PTVN began operations in January 1996, led by co-founders Jerilyn Brusseau and her husband, Danaan Parry. — VNS