Vietnam Official Asks Agencies to Improve Mine Clearance Operations
Vietnamese Deputy Defense Minister Senior Lieutenant General Hoang Xuan Chien has ordered agencies to continue to improve mine clearance operations, ensuring safety for people and avoiding environmental pollution, local media reported.
The Vietnamese defense official made the order at a conference in Hanoi on May 14 to review the first phase of the Ministry of National Defense-funded Science and Technology Program on researching equipment systems, vehicles for detecting, handling, and building information management systems for post-war mine and explosive remnants of war (ERW) pollution in Vietnam.
During phase one, the program implemented and executed 16 focused research topics on the design, manufacture of equipment serving the management and operations of mine clearance and ERW handling.
General Chien highlighted that the program’s success affirmed the role of the military in addressing post-war bomb, mine, and ERW consequences in Vietnam, particularly in the initial achievement of mastering the design and successful manufacture of some modern equipment, reducing reliance on foreign sources.
The contaminated area with bombs and mines in Vietnam remains extensive, Mr. Chien stated, highlighting the need to focus on key research, design, manufacturing tasks, and immediate practical application to enhance the efficiency of mine clearance. This contributes to accelerating the pace of land release, serving socio-economic development, and stabilizing the lives of people in pollution-affected areas.