VietNamNet Bridge – There are dozens of workshops purchasing war scraps in Quang Tri province in central Vietnam. These workshops buy tons of shrapnels every day. Some of them look like war museums with various kinds of bombs, mines and bullets.
This is the workshop of Mr. Nguyen Van Quang in the town of Ai Tu, in Trieu Phong district. It is a house located on the National Highway 1A.
Quang has been a war scrap trader since 2001. This workshop sometimes buys a dozen ton of shrapnel a day.
Along with economic development and the reduction of war scraps, the number of war scrap collectors is also decreasing. This workshop can buy 300-400kg of shrapnel a day.
This workshop has many kinds of bullets. Many mortar shells remain intact.
“Previously, many people brought unexploded ordnances. As I refused to buy them many times, they now know what things can be sold. War scrap is extremely dangerous, I just buy clean ammunition,” said Quang.
There are many other war facilities such as fences, ammunition crates, and drums.
This workshop has luckily never had any accident. He said the risk often comes from small bombs and bullets, or unexploded detonators in the scrap.
In early October, his wife Le Thi Tan Be was injured in a detonator blast while buying war scraps. The explosion also injured four other people. This detonator was in a sack containing metal fragments.
The number of war scrap trading workshops in Trieu Phong and Cam Lo district, Quang Tri province has decreased from 26 to seven. To minimize risk, Project RENEW’s Explosive Ordnance Disposal gave each workshop a “mine tank” made of concrete, which is buried in the ground, with heavy lids and locks to isolate bombs and mines.
This project also holds training courses for the owners of the workshops.
According to RENEW, there were more than 7,000 mine victims in Quang Tri from 1975 to 2010. This number has continued to increase in recent years. Many international organizations visit Quang Tri to help locals deal with war consequences but bombs and mines are still a serious problem in Quang Tri.
Currently, there are dozens of people searching for war scraps in the province. They earn VND3,000-VND4,000 ($1 = VND21,000) for 1kg of iron. Scrap metal is sent to iron and steel production plants.
VNE/VNN