Soldiers of Brigade 543 search for UXOs in Vi Xuyen district, Ha Giang province. (Photo: VNA)
Hanoi (VNA) – A pre-deployment training course for captains and techniciansof the mine action for the Republic of Korea (RoK) - Vietnam Peace Villageproject was opened in Hanoi on April 22.
The course, to last until April 28, is organised by the Vietnam National Mine Action Centre (VNMAC),the Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA), and the UN Development Programme(UNDP).
It isthe first capacity building activity within the project’s framework and also acompulsory task to be fulfilled before implementing the project so that theparticipating forces are updated on mine action and unexploded ordnance (UXO) contaminationin the central provinces of Quang Ngai, Binh Dinh, and Thua Thien - Hue.
Duringthe course, participants will be equipped with comprehensive knowledge aboutUXO and explosive-related issues, data management, quality management in UXO detectionand clearance, and financial management, among others, to ensure consistent projectimplementation and minimise risks.
In hisopening remarks, VNMAC Deputy General Director Col. Le Quang Hop said theVNMAC, KOICA, and UNDP worked together to successfully carry out the Korea -Vietnam Mine Action Project (KVMAP) from 2018 to 2021. Following this project’ssuccess, the three sides continue cooperating to implement the mine action for theKorea - Vietnam Peace Village project to help with socio-economic developmentand bring about peace and safety for residents in Quang Ngai, Binh Dinh, and ThuaThien - Hue.
The new project is funded by the RoK Government through KOICA and giventechnical support by UNDP. The Vietnamese Government and Ministry of NationalDefence assigned the VNMAC to coordinate the project implementation.
The projectwill be carried out from 2024 to 2026, aiming to conduct technical survey ofabout 15,000ha of land while searching and clearing about 6,000ha of UXO andexplosive-contaminated areas in the three provinces./.
