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Removing the 500lb bomb from the construction site. |
The construction of a new spiritual centre in Quang Binh, turning one of the areas most affected by remnants of conflict into a Buddhist ecotourism destination, is part of the province’s development strategy.
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But just one day after construction started on the Kim Phong pagoda at the foot of Than Dinh mountain in 2009, workers found an unexploded 500lb aircraft bomb buried in the earth and the whole project was suspended.
The large bomb found at the construction site, one metre below the surface, was just 30 metres away from the village road. After the bomb was safely removed by MAG, the local authorities, realising the likelihood of further unexploded ordnance (UXO) in this heavily bombed area, requested clearance of the entire construction site, which will house the main pagoda, a library and a yard.
In the month and a half it took a MAG team to clear the two hectare site, an additional 64 items of UXO were found and destroyed.
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Construction has restarted. [Photos: MAG Vietnam] |
“We were scared by the big bomb," a worker said. "We were even more frightened when MAG found many others. If MAG had not removed and cleared all of them, we would have not dared to continue our work."
Hundreds of tons of bombs were dropped in this central province during the Vietnam War, forcing local people to leave. After peace returned, they came back to find their villages in ruins, and many items of UXO still littering the ground and threatening their safety. Hectares of fertile land were left idle due to the contamination.
In 1991, in an area just 300 metres away from the construction site, four children were killed and one injured by a submunition when herding cows.
“There was a great deal of pain when we lost our beloved son," said Nguyen Dinh Que, the father of one of the victims, speaking before MAG came to clear the area. "But the threat hasn’t gone yet. The discovery of the big bomb gave us another shock. Our land is totally unsafe."
With the land now cleared of the dangerous items, work has restarted. “The construction work is in progress again,” said Thich Trung Son, who is in charge of the construction. “By the end of 2011, the pagoda will be open for public. Without MAG’s clearance, I don’t know whether our desire to see the pagoda built here could become real.”
"Quang Binh was once the centre of Buddhism in Vietnam, but there is currently not much sign of that. The Kim Phong pagoda is therefore being built to be a spiritual practice centre for local residents as well as visitors."
MAG thanks the Office of Weapons Removal and Abatement, US Department of State for funding our operations in Quang Binh.
29 October 2010
See also:
- Why does MAG work in Vietnam?
- Vietnam MAGazine issue 7 [click to download PDF]
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