The Mine That Changed a Life
Fifty years after the Vietnam War, people still live in fear of stepping on old, unexploded ordnance. So far, more than 100,000 people have been killed or injured. Small-scale farmer Nguyen Sum is one of them.
On a warm and humid October morning, 64-year-old Nguyen Sum carefully cycles along the road, passing peaceful farmlands in Thua Thien Hue Province, Vietnam. On his way to the fishing pond where he fished as a teenager, memories from his childhood begin to resurface.
With Life and the Future Ahead
Nguyen grew up in the countryside during the Vietnam War in the 1960s and 1970s. When the war ended in 1975, his hometown finally became peaceful again. Nguyen turned 15 and had his whole life and future ahead of him.
"My job was to take care of our buffalo, but I also went to school and spent a lot of time with my friends. We played, played football, and swam," Nguyen recalls before pausing thoughtfully. Then, he begins to talk about the incident that would change his life.
A Small Buried Plastic Mine
It was an afternoon in August. Nguyen does not remember the exact date, but the weather was nice. The school day was over, the buffalo had been fed, and he was heading out on a fishing trip with his friends to a small pond one kilometer from home.
"I remember that day all the time. It happened right behind my house. I was on my way to go fishing. After just a few meters, I stepped on it."
Nguyen gazes silently up at the sky before continuing his story. The small, buried plastic mine caused severe damage to his right leg. His friends ran to get his parents, who eventually came to help. It took several hours of driving on bumpy gravel roads before Nguyen reached a hospital.
"In 1975, there was also a shortage of medicine, so the doctors had to saw through my leg three times and remove my knee joint before it healed properly," says Nguyen Sum
Dropped Out of School and Lost His Friends
The accident left Nguyen bedridden for several months. With each passing week, he missed out on vital school lessons, and eventually, catching up on his studies seemed impossible. Since neither transportation nor schools were adapted for people with disabilities, returning to school became too difficult.
It also became extremely challenging for Nguyen to care for his family's buffalo because the terrain was rough, and he was now afraid of moving around the fields.
"At first, my friends visited me, but as time went on, they came less frequently, and eventually, we lost all contact."
I often think about how my life would have been without the accident. I could have traveled from here to study and gotten an education.
Nguyen Sum
Despite the accident and reduced opportunities for a brighter future, Nguyen got married and had both children and grandchildren.
"I have always reminded my children about my accident and warned them to stay away from the area where it happened. Fortunately, they have listened to me," says Nguyen.
Today, the area around Nguyen's home has been cleared of explosives by Norwegian People’s Aid, so all the families living there can move around safely.
Mine Clearance is Crucial for People's Safety
Since Norwegian People’s Aid began operations in Vietnam in 2008, more than 26 million square meters of land have been cleared of mines and other explosives. However, there are still many provinces and hundreds of villages that have yet to be cleared. The remaining work will take several years and is crucial for the safety of the population.
