Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung says Vietnam is committed to dealing with the consequences of landmines and has spent hundreds of millions of dollars on this effort. At a landmine seminar in Hanoi today, the Prime Minister said Vietnam is suffering serious consequences as unexploded ordnances left from the war remains huge. Statistics show that the Americans used more than 15 million tones of ammunition during the war in Vietnam. Around 800,000 tones of bombs, landmines and unexploded ordnances are left from the war and more than 6.6 million ha of soil are contaminated affecting people’s lives and the country’s socio economic development. More than 42,000 people died and 63,000 people became disabled due to bombs and landmines. Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung said: “Vietnam aims to clear all landmines, bombs and explosives, create a safe environment for people and help affected people re-integrate into the community. To this end, last year, the Vietnamese government adopted the National Action Program on overcoming consequences of landmines left over from the war. IN addition to mobilizing all internal resources, Vietnam appreciates and hopes to receive more assistance from the international community in this work.”
The Prime Minister has set up a Steering Committee for the National Action Program to direct landmines clearance efforts until 2025.