Legacies of the war

Unexploded ordnance in Vietnam

About 17.7% of Vietnam's land, some 5.6 million hectares, is still contaminated by unexploded ordnance (UXO) from the war, with an estimated 800,000 tonnes left in the ground. More than 100,000 people have been killed or injured since 1975. For visitors, the sites on the usual routes are safe: the rule is to stay on marked paths and never touch metal objects.

How big is the problem?

Vietnam was one of the most heavily bombed countries in history, and a significant share of the bombs, shells and mines did not explode. Vietnam’s government reports about 5.6 million hectares, or 17.7% of the country, as contaminated by unexploded ordnance (reported December 2025). All 63 provinces as they stood before the 2025 mergers were affected to some degree, and the contamination is concentrated in the centre. An earlier national survey estimated 6.1 million hectares of contaminated and suspected land, 18.8% of the country.

The Mines Advisory Group (MAG) estimates that 800,000 tonnes of unexploded ordnance remain in the ground, which is why Vietnam is often called one of the world’s most contaminated countries.

Since the war ended in 1975 these weapons have killed or injured more than 105,000 people, around 40,000 of them fatally. A third of the casualties have been children (Project RENEW). Cluster bombs, which scatter small submunitions over a wide area, have been among the worst. Because they were designed to spread, they are hard to find and account for.

Quang Tri: the most affected province

Quang Tri, which straddled the Demilitarized Zone, is the province most affected. Around 390,000 hectares of the former Quang Tri province, over 80% of its area, are contaminated, and the province as now organised (it merged with Quang Binh in July 2025) has about 620,000 hectares of contaminated land, according to a provincial report published in April 2026. Nearly 60,000 hectares had been cleared by then, and the province’s goal is to be declared a “safe province” by 2035, with all cluster-munition land cleared and accidents from lack of awareness ended by 2030.

Why people are still hurt

The bombs and mines are shallow, usually 30 to 70 cm below the surface, so farmers meet them when they plough or dig. Others are injured while looking for scrap metal. Steel from bomb casings sells for a modest sum, but it can exceed what a family earns from rice or other crops, and so scrap collecting continues despite the risk. Unexploded ordnance also keeps land out of use: where people fear the ground, they won’t farm or build, and development stalls.

Who is clearing the land, and how fast

The Vietnamese military leads national clearance. Several organisations work alongside it, mostly in the centre:

  • MAG has worked in Quang Tri since 1999. In 2025 it cleared 31.2 square kilometres, destroyed 9,702 items and ran 491 risk education sessions, according to its Vietnam page.
  • Project RENEW, a mine action programme in Quang Tri, began in 2001. It reports 815,952 explosive items destroyed and about 207 square kilometres cleared in Quang Tri since then, plus emergency call-outs and risk education for hundreds of thousands of children.
  • Norwegian People’s Aid and Peace Trees Vietnam also work in Quang Tri on survey, clearance and education.

Progress is real but slow when set beside the size of the task. Each hectare must be surveyed and cleared to depth, and the work is expensive and funding is uneven. At the current rate full clearance of the country will take decades more.

Staying safe as a visitor

The risk to visitors is low if you follow a few rules:

  • Stay on marked paths and roads, especially in Quang Tri, the former DMZ, the Ho Chi Minh Trail and other rural areas in the centre.
  • Never touch or pick up metal objects, however old or rusted they look.
  • Don’t take shortcuts across fields or through scrub, and don’t dig.
  • If you see something suspicious, keep away and tell a local official or your guide.
  • Use reputable guides and operators for DMZ and Khe Sanh tours, who know the cleared routes.

The historic sites on the usual visitor circuit, including the Cu Chi tunnels near Saigon, are managed for tourists. Our guide to The Vietnam War lists the main sites and what to see.

How to help

Several organisations accept donations and offer information for those who want to support clearance and survivors:

  • Mines Advisory Group (maginternational.org)
  • Project RENEW (renewvn.org)
  • Norwegian People’s Aid (npaid.org)
  • Peace Trees Vietnam (peacetreesvietnam.org)
  • International Campaign to Ban Landmines (icbl.org)

Sources

Vietnamese government figures reported in the press (Nhan Dan, February 2024, and moitruong.net.vn, December 2025); Quang Tri provincial data (Happy Vietnam, 4 April 2026, citing the provincial government); Mines Advisory Group’s Vietnam page (2025 results); Project RENEW Vietnam’s website (casualty and clearance figures); and the Vietnam War entry on this site. Figures change with each survey, so quote the date with the number.

FAQ

Questions travellers ask us

How much unexploded ordnance is left in Vietnam?

Vietnam reports about 5.6 million hectares, 17.7% of its land, as contaminated by bombs, mines and other explosive remnants, in all 63 former provinces. An earlier national survey put contaminated and suspected land at about 6.1 million hectares, or 18.8%. The mine action group MAG estimates 800,000 tonnes of unexploded bombs remain.

Where in Vietnam is UXO worst?

The central provinces along the former Demilitarized Zone. In Quang Tri, about 390,000 hectares, over 80% of the former province's land, is contaminated, and the province as now defined (it absorbed Quang Binh in 2025) has about 620,000 hectares. Hue, Quang Nam and Quang Ngai are also heavily affected.

How many people have been killed by UXO in Vietnam?

More than 105,000 people have been killed or injured by bombs and mines since 1975, according to Project RENEW, and about 40,000 of them died. Most casualties are now in the centre of the country, and a third have been children. Annual numbers have fallen sharply from the decades immediately after the war.

Is it safe to visit Vietnam's war sites?

Yes, on the usual visitor routes. The Cu Chi tunnels, the Demilitarized Zone sites and the museums are open to tourists and have been cleared or are managed. The risk comes from leaving the path in rural areas, particularly in Quang Tri and along the former Ho Chi Minh Trail. Stay on marked trails, and never pick up or touch metal objects.

Who clears landmines and bombs in Vietnam?

The Vietnamese military does most of it, with international organisations including the Mines Advisory Group (MAG, in Quang Tri since 1999), Project RENEW (since 2001), Norwegian People's Aid and Peace Trees Vietnam. They clear land, destroy ordnance and teach children and farmers to recognise it.

Why do people collect scrap from bombs?

Steel casings can be sold as scrap, and for poor rural families the money can exceed what they earn from farming. The bombs lie shallow in the soil, often at 30 to 70 cm, so the temptation is real. Risk education, alternative work and clearance of farmland aim to remove the reason to take the risk.