The bomb was found while a local was using an excavator to dig a pond for irrigation. The discovery was immediately reported to local authorities.

In response, the Bu Dop Military Command and other forces secured the site by marking its location, putting up warning signs, and imposing safety measures. The Military Command of Binh Phuoc province has ordered the explosive materials be safely collected and disposed.

The bomb was identified as part of the MK series, measuring 1.5 to 2 metres in length and deeply buried underground, requiring the provincial command’s deployment of specialised personnel for its removal.

Manufactured by the US, it weighs 500 pounds (approximately 227kg). This type of bombs was commonly used by the US military to destroy structures, cause casualties, and penetrate underground targets, according to the Binh Phuoc Military Command.

At the same site, authorities retrieved a 175mm artillery shell left over from the war.

Bu Dop, and Binh Phuoc as a whole, were among key battlegrounds during the war, particularly between 1965 and 1975. As a result, unexploded ordnance (UXO) remains scattered throughout the region, posing risks to farmers when clearing land for cultivation.

200-kilo wartime bomb unearthed in central Vietnam

VOV.VN - A wartime bomb weighing approximately 200kg has been uncovered by a construction worker while operating an excavator to clear a drainage pipeline in Ky Anh town of Ha Tinh province, central Vietnam.