Company 319 (under the DefenceMinistry) discovered the MK82 bomb when clearing unexploded ordnance in TienLang commune (Tien Yen district) in preparation for the construction of the VanDon-Mong Cai Highway.
Post-war bombs and mines haveremained a daily threat in Vietnam.
It is estimated that more than6.1 million ha of land or 18.71 percent of Vietnam’s total area arecontaminated with about 800,000 tonnes of bombs, mines and unexploded ordnances(UXO) left by wars, which are scattered over all 63 cities and provinces in thecountry, with the central region the hardest hit.
Between 1975 and now, bombs andmines killed more than 40,000 people and injured 60,000 others.
Each year, Vietnam decontaminatesfrom 40,000-50,000 ha of land. However, it will take more than a century toclear all bombs and mines in the country, with an estimated cost of over 10billion USD, excluding spending on resettlement and social welfare work in thedanger zones.-VNA