Mines Advisory Group Vietnam’s 25-year journey marked in Quang Tri

Mine clearance techniques introduced at the event (Photo: VNA)

Quang Tri (VNA) – The Mines Advisory Group (MAG), a humanitarian non-government organisation that helps clear explosive ramnants of war, held a ceremony in Dong Ha city, the central province of Quang Tri on March 15 to mark its 25th year of operation in Vietnam.

Established in the UK in 1989, MAG has worked to bring safety and opportunities to rebuild life and develop livelihoods and future for tens of millions of people in war-affected areas of more than 70 countries.

In 1999, MAG arrived in Vietnam and set up its first office in Quang Tri, the most severely contaminated place for bombs and mines in Vietnam. It expanded its operation in Quang Binh in 2003 then Quang Nam in 2012.

Over the past 25 years, MAG has cleared almost 180 million square metres of land, and destroyed more than 230,000 explosives of various kinds, helping bring safety to nearly 700,000 residents. Besides, it has built schools, medical stations, roads and resettlement areas while carrying out over 1,000 communications activities to raise public awareness of measures to prevent bomb and mine accidents.

At the ceremony, Vice Chairman of the provincial People’s Committee Hoang Nam spoke highly of the contributions by MAG, expressing his hope that MAG and other action operators will continue support for the province to recover post-war consequences and develop the socio-economy sustainably.

Quang Tri is striving to become the first Vietnamese locality that lives safely with bombs and mines left over from wars, he added.

On the occasion, MAG received certificates of merit from the Vietnam Union of Friendship Organisation and the Chairman of the Quang Tri provincial People’s Committee for its contributions to Vietnam’s socio-economic development during 1999-2024, and post-war recovery in Quang Tri province./.