Construction work on Vietnam’s National Bomb and Mine Action Centre commenced on April 27 following a ground-breaking ceremony at Thach Hoa commune, Thach That district, Hanoi. The 52,400 sq.m centre, which is costing VND415 billion ($19.21 million), will be a complex of 12 structures within a gross usage area of 23,922 sq.m. It will include an executive building, a main hall, a bomb and mine museum, an apartment building for experts and employees, a logistics area, a dormitory, a lecture hall and a laboratory. The centre will operate under the direction of the Prime Minister and is to be run by the Ministry of Defense, which coordinates the national action program on solving post-war bomb and mine issues. The centre will host international cooperation activities and seek more donations to further the work. Addressing the event, Deputy Prime Minister Hoang Trung Hai underscored that the construction of the centre will improve work removing bombs and mines left by the war, thus serving social-economic development. He asked all relevant parties to ensure the quality of the construction and to finish the project without delays. The Deputy PM took the occasion to thank foreign governments, international organizations and non-government organizations for assisting Vietnam in solving its post-war bomb and mines issues. (Vietnamplus.vn Apr 27)
