Exhibition showcases efforts to revive land polluted by UXO, chemicals hinh anh 1Visitors at the exhibition (Photo: VNA)

HCM City (VNA) – An exhibition themed “Revival of dead lands” is going on in Ho Chi Minh City to showcase efforts to clean up remnants of chemical warfare and wartime unexploded ordnance and revive life in the contaminated lands.

With 190 items, documents and images, the exhibition gives insights into the consequences of bomb, mine and toxic chemicals used by the US during the war on Vietnamese people.

The event, held on the occasion of the 43th anniversary of the Liberation of the South and National Reunification (April 30), the 60th founding anniversary of the Chemical Force (April 19) and the World Day of Bomb and Mine Prevention (April 4), also aims to call for joint efforts in overcoming war aftermaths to build and develop the country.

Addressing the opening of the exhibition, Colonel Truong Minh Ly, Director of the Chemical Force’s Museum, said that over the past years, the force discovered and handled nearly 4,000 tonnes of toxic chemicals, explosives with toxic chemicals and hundreds of thousands of cubic metres of land polluted by chemicals.

The work contributed to cleaning up the environment and helping local residents in central, Central Highlands and southern regions stabilize their daily life, he said.

Meanwhile, Simon Rea, National Director of the Mines Advisory Group in Vietnam, said that although the war ended more than 40 years ago and the Vietnamese Government worked hard with the support of international bomb and mine organisations, Vietnam is still suffering from severe pollution of unexploded ordnances. Rea stressed the need for more efforts in cleaning the polluted land areas.-VNA
VNA