The War That Continues to Kill

At this time of year, the village of A Dot, in central Vietnam, is warm and rainy. In this modest area, one immediately gets an impression of peace and harmony. But that quickly changes when you hear the stories about the people who have lived alongside a deadly, 50-year-old threat buried in the ground.

I used to be afraid and often didn’t dare to go outside.

Nhung (13)

Nhung explains that she was neither allowed to play in the garden nor accompany her grandfather to the fields where he works. Nhung’s route to school was also dangerous. The risk of stepping on a landmine or other explosives left behind from the war was high.

Remnants from the Vietnam War

During the Vietnam War in the 1960s and 70s, American bombers dropped over 400,000 tons of cluster bombs across large parts of Vietnam. Additionally, both sides laid an enormous amount of landmines. The area the fighting was most intense, is where Nhung’s grandfather grew up.

"I stepped on an unexploded cluster bomb when I was 16 and still suffer severe pain due to metal fragments embedded in my body," says Ra Pat Loc (63), Nhung’s grandfather

A few years later, his sister stepped on a landmine and had to have her leg amputated. She passed away a few years later.

"My aunt was also injured by an explosive, and although she lived for a long time, she struggled with intense pain in her arm."

After the accident, working on the farm became much harder for Loc. Not only was his body injured in the explosion, but he also lived in constant fear of it happening again.

The health challenges shattered all his dreams for the future. Fifty years later, Loc still lives in the same small village with his wife and four grandchildren. His adult children were forced to move south in search of work.

A Small Misstep Can Be Catastrophic

It is easy to understand why Loc feared for his grandchildren. Watching over small children with large amounts of explosives right outside the door was a huge responsibility. One small misstep could trigger old explosives — whether on the way to school, playing in the garden, in the rice fields, or while herding animals.

Cluster bombs can, for a child, also be tempting to touch, looking like small tennis balls. Landmines are also often invisible until they are stepped on.

Millions of people live in areas where landmines and cluster bombs remain. Since 1992, Norwegian People's Aid has worked in over 40 countries, including Vietnam.

Every year, Norwegian People's Aids deminers find and remove hundreds of explosives left behind from the Vietnam War, posing a constant threat to families.

"Just in Nhung’s small garden, we found over 50 explosives earlier this year," says Do Thi Thanh Nhan, who leads Norwegian People's Aids clearance operations in this province.

A New Everyday Life in the Village of A Dot

For Nhung and her family, the clearance work has changed their lives. Their worries have lessened, and their quality of life has improved. The children can finally play outside, accompany their grandfather Loc to the fields, and walk to school without the fear of stepping on explosives. At last, they have let go of the fear that had followed them for so long.

"Everyone here was so happy when the local team from Norwegian People's Aid completed the clearance work. Now we can play football in the garden, herd buffaloes, and cultivate the land without the fear of explosions," says Nhung.

And most importantly, for the first time in her life, she and her friends can play hide-and-seek outside.