Vietnam is one of the countries which remain contaminated by bombs, mines and unexploded ordnance (UXO) as the remnants of war. According to the statistics, during the war in Vietnam, the United States dropped about 15 million tons of bombs and ammo. There remains hundreds of thousand of tons of bombs and ammo contaminating approximately 6 million hectares (about 20 percent of the country’s total land area), causing extremely severe consequences in various aspects. Thus, bomb, mine, UXO detection and disposal, and contaminated lands clearance are a matter of utmost importance and humanity. It is also the guideline and resolve of the Party and the Government.

To accelerate bomb and mine clearance, on September 24th 1996, the Ministry of National Defence issued the Decision to establish the Technology Centre for Bomb and Mine Disposal under Engineering Command. The Centre mainly serves as an advisory organ giving advice on the issues of bombs, mines, UXO to Engineering Corps and the Ministry of National Defence. Due to its heavy workload relevant to various organizations, organs and units both home and abroad, its cadre staff must be experienced in advisory work, collaboration, co-ordination, military diplomacy for bomb, mine, UXO detection and clearance. Moreover, its equipment, technology and facilities must be modern in compliance with the National Bomb and Mine Action Standards and the International Mine Action Standards.

Ensuring security in  A70 task

Fully aware of its honour, responsibilities, functions and assigned tasks, the Centre has actively proposed the Engineering Commands and the Ministry of National Defence to strengthen and perfect its organizational structure appropriate to its functions and tasks in the new situation, proactively counseling the Corps and the Ministry of National Denfence to promulgate many documents on bomb, mine and UXO detection and clearance, and the system of economic and technical procedures, standards, norms for task performance. The Centre has closely worked with functional organs to give advice to the Ministry of National Defence and the Ministry of Labour - Invalids and Social Affairs to build the “National Mine Action Program for the 2010 - 2025 period”, submitting it to the Prime Minister and realizing it nationwide. In this regard, the Centre has stuck to the Program and built the action plan for the 2011-2015 period to help the Steering Board and the Standing Organ coordinate the Program effectively. Besides, the Centre has actively studied and took part in the making of decrees, circulars, national technical standards on post-war bomb and mine clearance, counseling the Engineering Command , the Ministry of National Defence, the Government, and other ministries, sectors to work with other governments and partners to deal with the issue of post-war bombs and mines in Vietnam. Notably, the Centre has conducted surveys, made a national map of bomb and mine contamination and established the Bomb and Mine Database Management Centre. The Centre has also made considerable contributions to mobilizing resources, particularly those from governments, non-governmental organizations for the task, increasing the capacity of clearing to 50,000 hectares of land per year.

As the core force of the military in bomb and mine clearance, the Centre has stepped up research, applied the bomb, mine, UXO detection technology and the energy of explosion into defence, security and economic development, directly detected and removed post-war, expired bombs, mines and ammo. Detecting and removing the post-war, expired bombs, mines and ammo are very dangerous and poisonous tasks which could be considered as combat tasks in peacetime. During the implementation process, the Centre has conducted surveys, made plans for force deployment, and task assigment. Also, it has stuck close to the scene, carried out detailed inspections and resolutely abided by technical procedure and safety precautions.

To improve the efficiency of work and safety levels and reduce the harmful effects of bomb and mine detection and clearance, the Centre has attached great importance to doing scientific research and applying new technologies into the task performance. Research and inventive works have been focused on dealing with the urgent issues of the reality to practically serve the task performance. Accordingly, scientific research work in the Centre has become an ebullient movement attracting a large participation and achieving positive outcomes. Those inventions have made contributions to ensuring safety of the troops and saving dozens of VND billions of the budget.

By adopting various practical measures, over the past 10 years, the Centre has removed safely about 11,000 tons of expired bombs and ammo, post-war bombs, mines and UXO, clearing thousands of hectares of bomb and mine contaminated land , collecting tens of thousands of bombs and mines mainly in heavily contaminated areas, making significant contributions to the country’s industrialization and modernization.

Recently, the global and regional security has witnessed complex developments. As for our country, hostile forces have intensified their acts of sabotage. To ensure the safety of political, diplomatic, cultural and social events held by the Party, the State and the military, the Centre has been assigned the task of preventing and fighting acts of terrorism using bombs, mines, and explosive ordnance by the Corps and the Ministry of National Defence. It is a task of paramount importance and political significance. Grasping the advantages and difficulties, the Party Committee and the Directorate of the Centre have focused on studying, thoroughly grasping and strictly adhere to commands, instructions and combat readiness plans of higher-level commanders and organs, building and supplementing plans, strengthening forces. It has also proactively recommended the procurement of modern equipment, selected elite and healthy cadres and troops for specialized teams, worked with relevant forces to hold training and exercises, frequently grasped the situation, being ready to mobilize. By taking synchronous measures, the Centre, in cooperation with other forces, has guaranteed the safety of the country’s great political events, such as the 11th and 12th National Party Congresses, the elections of deputies to the 13rd and 14th National Assemblies, the 1000th Anniversary of Thang Long - Hanoi, the 70th Anniversary of National Day of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam, the 132nd Inter-Parliamentary Union Assembly (IPU-132).

With those achievements, the Centre has been awarded the title “Hero of the People’s Armed Forces in the Renewal Period” and many other noble rewards.

Snr Colonel Dang Van An

Political Commissar of the Centre