Disposal of explosive ordnance founded during operations (Photo: NPA)
The Vietnam Union of Friendship Organizations of Hue city (VUFO Hue) has recently received approval from the Hue City People’s Committee to accept a non-refundable aid package for the project “Explosive Remnants of war Risks reduction in Hue city for the Period 2026–2030”, funded by Norwegian People’s Aid (NPA). VUFO Hue will serve as the project owner.
With a total budget of nearly VND 88 billion (approximately USD 3.5 million), the project will be implemented from 2026 to 2030 across communes and wards in Hue City. It aims to reduce the risks posed by cluster munitions and other explosive remnants of war, thereby enhancing community safety and supporting local socio-economic development.
Key project activities include conducting non-technical and technical surveys to identify and map contaminated areas; carrying out clearance operations in confirmed hazardous areas; and detecting and safely disposing of cluster munitions and other explosive ordnance during survey and clearance activities, as well as through community-reported hotline responses.
The project will also develop, finalize, publish, and transfer a database and contamination maps of cluster munitions and other explosive remnants of war to relevant agencies and city authorities to support land management, urban planning, and socio-economic development.
Non – technical survey: Interviewing local residents to gather information about past explosions and former bombing sites (Photo: NPA)
Hue remains one of Vietnam’s localities most severely affected by unexploded ordnance, with approximately 1,722 km² of contaminated land — accounting for 34.4% of the city’s total area. The presence of explosive remnants of war continues to threaten public safety and hinder long-term development, urban expansion, and effective land use.
To address these challenges, humanitarian mine action efforts in Hue have received strong support from international partners over the past decade, including NPA, one of the world’s leading organizations in humanitarian disarmament and mine action.
Founded in 1939, NPA currently operates more than 300 projects in 26 countries and invests over USD 30 million annually in humanitarian mine action worldwide. The organization began working in Vietnam in 2007 and has partnered with VUFO Hue since 2010.
Through this long-standing cooperation, VUFO Hue and NPA have implemented numerous survey, clearance, and explosive ordnance disposal activities across Hue City. To date, operations have been carried out in 57 communes, wards, and townships; more than 6.45 million square meters of contaminated land have been surveyed and cleared; and 18,609 explosive items have been safely detected and destroyed. These efforts have significantly improved community safety while supporting local socio-economic development.
Building on these achievements, the 2026–2030 project is expected to further reduce explosive ordnance risks, expand safe land for community use and economic activities, and contribute to building a safer, more sustainable, and more prosperous Hue City in the years ahead.
Mine clearance operations (Photo: NPA)
Response team safely handling explosive ordnance reported by local residents through the hotline system (Photo: NPA)
My Ha