Support for Mine Action

Vietnam is heavily contaminated by explosive remnants of war (ERW), mainly unexploded ordnance (UXO) and mostly dating back to the war with the United States (US) in the 1960s and first half of the 1970s. This includes among the most widespread and extensive contamination from cluster munition remnants in the world. There is, however, no precise figure for the extent of contamination remaining.[1]

In 2011, seven donors contributed US$7.9 million for clearance and victim assistance.[2]

In 2011, as in previous years, Vietnam did not report national contributions to mine action or publish any details of land released through clearance or technical survey. Nevertheless, various sources indicate national spending may be significant. In April 2010, Vietnam released its 2010–2025 National Mine Action Plan. Although the plan did not include projected costs, a media article at the time of the plan’s release reported Vietnam “annually invests hundreds of billions of dong on disposing UXO and supporting victims.”[3] In 2011, the commander of the Army Engineering Corps of the People’s Army of Vietnam (PAVN) reported in an interview with the Monitor that Vietnam spent US$89 million in 2009 and around US$100 million in 2010 on mine action.[4] No comparable figures are available for 2011.

The lack of transparency and legislative oversight also makes difficulties in tracking government expenditures for mine action. There is no national mine action budget. The government of Vietnam budget structure involves a combination of national and provincial revenue sources from taxes, fees, bonds, and state-connected “private” firms. In Vietnam, the Ministry of Defense is a self-contained military-industrial complex in which profit-making entities (road construction, telecoms, manufacturing, etc.) subsidize the ministry budget. The Engineering Command and army firms receive payment as revenue which the Engineering Command must collect and compile the data. Still, research conducted by the Geneva International Centre for Humanitarian Demining (GICHD) has found that as many as six central provinces in 2011 spent an estimated US$4 million on mine action. Additionally, based on 2009–2010 data government and private investor funds could account for as much as an estimated 90% of mine clearance in Vietnam. Like other affected countries such as Afghanistan, Angola, and Cambodia where large investments are being made in public infrastructure, Vietnam is also improving its infrastructure through investments in transportation and poverty reduction, which requires a parallel investment in demining, of which little information is available.[5]

International contributions: 2011[6]

Thematic contributions in 2011 (US$)

Summary of contributions in 2007–2011 (US$)[7]