Local farmer Hoang Kim Han talking with team leader Le Thi Thu Ha while collecting straw to prepare for the next crop.
Đông Giang, Quảng Trị – May 14, 2025 – In a significant step toward ensuring safety for local farmers, six RENEW/NPA clearance teams have been working tirelessly to make safe 250,000 m² of farmland in Dong Giang Ward, Dong Ha City. This area, heavily impacted by unexploded ordnance (UXO) from the Vietnam War, is being cleared to support the upcoming rice planting season.
Team members using a large loop detector to search for cluster munitions and other explosives on the site.
Since operations began on Monday, May 12, 2025, the teams have safely found and disposed of 19 cluster bombs and 13 other explosive devices, including large-caliber artillery shells, within just three days. These efforts bring peace of mind to local farmers preparing their fields for the new crop.
“This area was heavily bombed in 1972, particularly with cluster bombs,” said Mr. Hoàng Kim Hán, a local farmer gathering straw for the upcoming harvest. “We are overjoyed that the teams have safely destroyed these remnants, making our farming safer.”
A large caliber projectile uncovered on the paddy rice field where people have farmed for many years.
Team leader Nguyễn Nhuận Bình said that the teams aim to complete this life-saving mission within nine days, ensuring that 354 Đông Giang farmers receive safe land for cultivation. “We destroy cluster bombs on-site,” Bình explained. “For large-caliber explosives, we coordinate with our mobile team to transport them to a central demolition site for safe disposal.”
This operation is part of RENEW/NPA’s ongoing commitment to mitigating the dangers of UXO in Quảng Trị, one of Vietnam’s most contaminated provinces. By clearing farmland, the project not only ensures safety but also supports the livelihoods of local communities. We are deeply grateful to the U.S. Department of State for their generous support, which makes this life-saving work possible.
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