Landmines were used as a weapon of war throughout Vietnam’s struggle for independence, its border conflicts, and the Vietnam War, and they continue to plague the country with the threat of violence. The Vietnamese government, however, still sees landmines as a tool for national protection and is hesitant to relinquish them. International support for mine clearance in Vietnam is, therefore, especially important.

Once a week, someone in central Vietnam is killed or injured by an encounter with unexploded ordnance (UXO).     Since the end of the war in 1975, more than 500 children have lost their lives and 4,000 have been injured in Quang Tri Province alone from landmines and other explosives. During the decade between 1985 and 1994, nearly 500 people were killed and more than 4,000 injured in Quang Tri Province south of the former DMZ alone.

In order to help people in Central Vietnam live in peace, the mines must be cleared and those people who are injured from mines and UXO must be helped so that they can live a full life.

Adopt-A-Minefield added Vietnam as one of our Country Programs in 2001 in recognition of its need for international support.   All AAM mine clearance activities in Vietnam are implemented by the Mines Advisory Group (MAG), a non-profit organization based in the United Kingdom.  MAG aims to save lives and build futures by returning land to needy communities so as to reduce the physical and economic suffering that landmines and UXO cause. Through its own mine action teams, and through specialized capacity-building projects, MAG clears land of mines and ordnance.

AAM’s Adopt-A-Team program has provided support to Mine Action Teams (MAT) working in Quang Binh in central Vietnam. The MAT operations in both Quang Binh and Quang Tri have proved effective and popular with the local communities and authorities.

To date, AAM has provided support to three organizations that are providing services to landmine survivors and their families.  Visit our Survivor Assistance Program page for more information on these projects.

You can help be part of the solution in Vietnam by donating to support a mine action team or survivor assistance project.  A donation of any size is welcome and will have a significant impact on the lives of people in Vietnam.  A donation of $25,000 will support the work of a MAT for two months.