PANO - Vietnam and the Republic of Korea (RoK) will join hands in a project on clearance of post-war unexploded ordnances (UXOs) in former battle-fields in Vietnam, according to the new minutes signed on June 14th in Hanoi.

The signatories are Senior Lieutenant General Nguyen Chi Vinh, Deputy Minister of National Defence, Head of the Standing Office of the Steering Committee for the National Action Program on overcoming the aftermath of bombs, mines and explosives left behind from the war (Steering Committee 504), representing the Government of Vietnam and Mr. Chang Jea-yun, Country Director of the Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA), representing RoK’s Government.

The signing ceremony

Under the project, themed “Vietnam and RoK cooperate in surmounting the aftermath of post-war unexploded ordnances (UXOs)”, RoK, though KOICA Vietnam, will grant a non-refundable aid of around US $20 million to the Vietnam National Mine Action Centre (VNMAC) to carry out five components of the project on the area of nearly 8,000 hectares in the central provinces of Quang Binh and Binh Dinh.

Part of the fund will be used in vocation training for those wounded by bombs and mines, so that they could reintegrate into society.

An information system on UXOs-conterminated sites will be established soon. Together with training courses on safety will be held to help local people avoid being killed or wounded by UXOs, making contributions to local economic development.

Addressing the signing ceremony, the two representatives stressed that the project demonstrates the two governments’ good will of cooperation for dealing with humanitarian issues and development in the spirit of Vietnam and RoK’s strategic cooperation partnership. The success of such a project will contribute to strengthening and boosting the bilateral ties in general and the relation between KOICA and the Vietnamese Ministry of National Defence in particular, especially in supporting Vietnam in overcoming the aftermaths of post-war UXOs.

Translated by Mai Huong