Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung was speaking at a seminar in Hanoi on December 5 held by the State Steering Committee on the National Action Plan for Mine.

The PM stressed that the Vietnamese Government has issued a number of policies and spent thousands of billions VND counteracting the damage caused by UXO.

The country has actively disseminated information about bombs and mines to schools and throughout communities to raise public awareness of the issue and help reduce the number of accidents caused by UXO.

It has also provided treatment and rehabilitation for those who have been injured by unexploded bombs and mines, he said.

The huge number of bombs and mines used by the French and US aggressors during the Vietnamese resistance wars has severely contaminated a vast area of land with many UXO that injure or kill both children and adults across the country every day, PM Dung added.

The Government ratified the National Mine Action Plan in 2010, with detailed measures and targets to ensure Vietnam will no longer suffer from the negative impact of UXO during its ongoing socio-economic development.

Along with mobilizing all available domestic resources, the Vietnamese Government always hopes to receive valuable cooperation and support from the international community to help the country overcome the post-war backwash of UXO, he said.

Representatives from ministries, agencies, embassies and international organisations discussed measures to resolve the issue, setting a goal of de-mining 500,000 ha of land by 2015 and 800,000 by 2025.

The US forces used nearly 16 million tonnes of bombs and mines during their war in Vietnam, leaving hundreds of thousand of tonnes unexploded and covering more than 20 percent of the country’s territory.

So far, mines and UXO have claimed more than 40,000 lives nationwide and left over 60,000 people injured.