{"id":10625,"date":"2025-09-03T17:51:45","date_gmt":"2025-09-03T10:51:45","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/landmines.org.vn\/?p=10625"},"modified":"2025-09-03T18:10:53","modified_gmt":"2025-09-03T11:10:53","slug":"closing-the-painful-legacy-of-war-in-vietnam-together","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/landmines.org.vn\/vi\/closing-the-painful-legacy-of-war-in-vietnam-together\/","title":{"rendered":"Closing the Painful Legacy of War in Vietnam Together"},"content":{"rendered":"

This article was originally published by Vietcetera<\/a> on September 3, 2025. We are grateful for their thoughtful coverage of Project RENEW\u2019s work in Quang Tri to help communities overcome the deadly legacy of war. The article is republished here with permission.<\/p>\n

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Closing The Painful Legacy Of War In Vietnam Together<\/h1>\n

The consequences of war can be created in an instant, but its painful legacy lasts for generations. Quang Tri needs collective effort to truly become safe, to revive, and to grow.<\/p>\n

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\"Closing<\/picture><\/div>\n

Project RENEW’s founders Hoang Nam and Chuck Searcy in Dong Ha circa 2001. Photo from the Project RENEW archives.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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What do you think these objects are?<\/span><\/div>\n
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They are not just lumps of metal. They are cluster bombs, or unexploded cluster munitions (each containing dozens to hundreds of steel pellets that scatter upon detonation). A single physical trigger could claim a life or leave someone permanently disabled. And these bombs are only one among dozens of explosive remnants of war still scattered across Vietnam. No one knows exactly how many remain in total.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt could take a thousand years, or perhaps Vietnam will never be completely cleared of explosives\u201d<\/em>, said Chuck Searcy, an American veteran, peace advocate, humanitarian, and co-founder of\u00a0Project RENEW<\/a>.<\/p>\n

I once thought of war as something long buried in the past, but it does not. A silent war still lingers beneath the ground of a land long declared at peace.<\/p>\n

Why hasn\u2019t the war truly ended for the Vietnamese?<\/h2>\n

On April 30, 1975, the two-decade-long war came to an end, marking Vietnam\u2019s reunification and peace. Yet peace did not mean an end to casualties. According to Vietnam\u2019s Ministry of Labor, Invalids and Social Affairs, since 1975 more than 100,000 Vietnamese have fallen victim to unexploded ordnance (UXO). Millions more have lived with disabilities caused by Agent Orange.<\/p>\n

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A cluster bomb attack on northern Vietnam by the U.S. military. Photo: U.S. Air Force<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

During the war, more than five million tons of bombs were dropped on Vietnam \u2013 the largest bombardment of any country in history and double the total tonnage dropped by the U.S. Air Force during World War II. A large portion of these fell on Quang Tri, making it\u00a0the most bombed place in the world<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Today, remnants of that history still lie beneath Quang Tri\u2019s soil, not just large bombs, but countless cluster munitions, shells, mortars, grenades, and mines. Many lie just below the surface, posing deadly risks, especially when heavy floods frequently sweep through Central Vietnam.<\/p>\n

For those living safely elsewhere, it may be hard to imagine the fear of living on land riddled with explosives. But imagine a child having to learn how to distinguish between a bomb and a toy in order to survive.<\/p>\n

Data from Project RENEW\u00a0\u2013 a partnership between Quang Tri Province and international NGOs to clear UXO \u2013\u00a0<\/em>shows that more than one-third of UXO victims are children under 18, with most under 15. Cluster munitions remain the deadliest threat.<\/p>\n

However, victims are not only human lives, the economy also suffers.<\/p>\n

After the war, Quang Tri was largely an agricultural province. When farmland was contaminated by explosives, local people could hardly make a living. Worse still, injuries caused by UXO stripped families of their labor capacity, trapping them in a cycle of poverty.<\/p>\n

Unexploded ordnance are like ghosts of the war, created for destruction but\u00a0unable to die itself<\/a>. After visiting the all-female UXO clearance team of Project RENEW\/NPA (Norwegian People\u2019s Aid) funded by the U.S. government through the U.S. Embassy in Vietnam, Vietnamese American poet and essayist Kimberly Nguy\u1ec5n wrote:<\/p>\n

\u201cbury a seed
\nyou eat the fruit of its tree.<\/em>
\nimplant a bomb, and you swallow a ghost,<\/em>
\nburied alive, returning now to die<\/em>
\na second, final death. let us lay<\/em>
\nall these ghosts to rest\u2026<\/em>
\nmay the past be a wound we close,<\/em>
\nso that the future can never reopen it.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

(Excerpted from the poem \u201creaping what you sow\u201d.)<\/em><\/p>\n

For a safer Quang Tri, for a future without fear<\/h2>\n

Healing the consequences of war is a long journey, and some have dedicated their entire lives to it. Dang Quang Toan, Victim Assistance\/Disability Support Program Manager, joined Project RENEW right after his university graduation in 2004. He has now spent nearly 25 years with the project.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve witnessed unforgettable suffering among war victims. The positive changes the project has brought to families are what motivates me and my colleagues to keep faith in our mission.\u201d\u00a0<\/em>he shared.<\/p>\n

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Dang Quang Toan, Victim Assistance\/Disability Support Program Manager at Project RENEW, during a visit to provide support for a person in need of prosthetic limbs. Photo: Project RENEW<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Over two decades, Dang Quang Toan has met and supported thousands of victims of UXO and Agent Orange. Among the most haunting yet inspiring stories is that of Ho Van Lai.<\/p>\n

Lai, now 35, is a core member of Project RENEW\u2019s Explosive Ordnance Risk Education Program. At the age of 10, he and his cousins picked up cluster munitions while playing. They threw one at another, triggering an explosion. His cousins were killed instantly. Lai lost an eye, both legs, his right arm, and most of his left hand. Over 86% of his body was pierced with shrapnel.<\/p>\n

No one thought he would survive, but miraculously, he did \u2013 bearing deep scars, both physical and mental. Against all odds, Lai returned to school, worked diligently and dedicated himself to helping others.<\/p>\n

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Lai actively participates in outreach events, educating villagers, especially children on how to stay safe when encountering UXOs in daily life. Photo: Project RENEW<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Lai is also one of over 3,000 amputees who have received support from Project RENEW\u2019s Mobile Prosthetics and Orthotics Outreach Program in recent years.<\/p>\n

The prosthetic devices enable Lai to participate actively in social and cultural events in town and around the district, Lai explained:<\/p>\n

\u201cFor people with disabilities, this kind of service is really practical and meaningful. Along with income generation and Viet Nam\u2019s comprehensive law on disabilities, these are important ways to sustain the lives of people with disabilities, to create favorable conditions and opportunities for persons with disabilities to integrate into cultural and social activities.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

Thanks to Project RENEW, NPA and other international demining organizations working in Quang Tri for more than 2 decades, the casualty rate has dropped significantly. In 2019, for the first time, the province recorded zero accidents, deaths or injuries from explosive remnants of war.<\/p>\n

Bomb and mine clearance will continue for decades, and no one knows when, or if Vietnam can ever be completely free of UXO. Despite that, the truth is, even today thousands of bombs left over WWI and WWII are still found each year across Europe. According to Spiegel Online, in Germany alone, more than 2,000 tons of ordnance \u2013 from grenades to anti-tank mines and artillery shells \u2013 are found annually. That is why it is neither possible nor necessary to remove every single bomb in Vietnam.<\/p>\n

The real goal is to make Quang Tri safe<\/strong>\u00a0\u2013 by prioritizing the clearance of cluster munitions, grenades, mortars, shells, and other small explosives that lie on or just beneath the surface. These are the weapons that most often cause casualties among children, farmers, and other vulnerable groups. At the same time, safety can be ensured when both children and adults are taught about the dangers of unexploded ordnance and how to protect themselves if they come across it.<\/p>\n

That\u2019s why, beyond clearance work, the Project RENEW team is pushing forward with two key missions:<\/p>\n