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Protecting Children in Vietnam After the War

By Nadya Williams

All veterans and civilians against war agonize over the current killing of children in the Middle East by Israeli and American forces. They know that wars do not end with a cessation of conflict–unexploded ordnance (UXOs) being just one of the deadly legacies of war, with children being especially vulnerable to the (easily) 10% of UXOs still active in the ground. Vietnam's Quang Tri Province alone is estimated to be 40% contaminated. However, 50 years later, several programs are in full force to spare the populace of Vietnam from further harm.

Among the more successful UXO clearance efforts is the Vietnamese government-run ProjectRENEW (Restoring the Environment to Neutralize the Effects of War), initiated in Quang Tri Province in 2001 by American veteran Chuck Searcy and Mr. Hoàng Nam, who is today the Standing Deputy Chairman of the Quang Tri People's Committee. Searcy, who lives full-time in Ha Noi, continues his involvement as an international advisor.

ProjectRENEW www.landmines.org.vn

Global NGOs, notably Norwegian People's Aid (NPA), one of the world's leading organizations in humanitarian disarmament, partnered with Project RENEW in 2007 to dramatically increase Explosive Ordnance Disposal capacity. Currently, the NPA/RENEW UXO clearance program is funded by the US Department of State. Project RENEW also receives direct funding from the Government of Ireland, through the Embassy of Ireland in Vietnam, to sustain the other two pillars of humanitarian mine action: risk education and victim assistance.

Focusing on the former Quang Tri Province, hard up against the 17th parallel's DMZ, an area literally saturated with bombs, cluster munitions, landmines and other explosives, RENEW and its international partners including NPA, Mines Advisory Group (MAG), and PeaceTrees Vietnam (PTVN), reached, for the first time, "Zero-Accident" in 2019–an historic milestone for the whole region! However, that record lasted only three years. From 2022 to 2024, five adult males fell victim to UXOs. Quang Tri Province recorded NO accidents in 2025. According to the Quang Tri Mine Action Center (QTMAC), a total of 844,149 deadly munitions have already been safely destroyed by the teams managed by NPA/RENEW, MAG, and PTVN as of December 2025. There is even an All-Women clearance team in the field.

QTMAC statistics show that children under the age of 16 have historically accounted for 31% of total post-war casualties in Quang Tri Province. While the province has made significant strides in UXO clearance during the past two decades, education remains the first line of defense. This is why, very early on, ProjectRENEW began aggressive Explosive Ordnance Risk Education (EORE) programs in all local schools, with a third of a million schoolchildren already reached. The principal trainer is a young man who was severely injured as a 10-year-old, providing the children with a powerful example of the deadly consequences of interacting out of curiosity with exposed remnants of war. These life-saving educational programs "dovetail" perfectly with VVAW's four, soon to be five, school Library Projects! "It is impossible to rid Vietnam of all UXOs," states Searcy, "but avoidance through education can go a long way in reducing deaths and injuries."

Expansion Into Quang Ngai Province

ProjectRENEW raised $100,000 in 2022 through its linked organization, Friends of Project RENEW (www.renewvn.org), to expand south into Quang Ngai Province, where VVAW just completed its fourth Library and Learning Center at the Hanh Minh Secondary School. A driving force is Chuck Searcy (US Army military intelligence, late 1960s, three years, one year in Saigon), who is also the president of the Veterans For Peace Hoa Binh (Peace) Chapter 160 in Vietnam. "Quang Ngai is where the My Lai Massacre took place 58 years ago," he says. "It is unconscionable that farmers and children there remain at risk of being maimed and killed by tens of thousands of bombs and landmines that still litter the countryside."

With support from the Government of Ireland and Friends of Project RENEW, victim assistance programs are in full swing. Activities include providing prosthetic limbs, orthotics services, mobile outreach clinics, rehabilitation services, and follow-up care for more than 3,000 persons with disabilities. Additionally, livelihood support through vocational training and other income-generation initiatives is provided, along with home modifications to improve accessibility for severely disabled persons, and support for rehabilitation and care centers in coordination with local health and social service departments.

In addition, since 2022, RENEW has participated in a broader effort to improve the quality of life for people with disabilities in provinces heavily affected by Agent Orange/Dioxin. The US Government funds this initiative through the US Embassy in Hanoi. Lastly, Disability Law dissemination, which raises awareness and promotes the inclusion and rights of persons with disabilities, completes RENEW's mission.

As of July 1, 2025, the former provinces of Quảng Trị (immediately south of the 17th parallel) and Quảng Bình (just north) were officially merged into a new Quảng Trị Province, as part of Vietnam's national administrative reform. The expanded province includes regions that were among the most heavily bombed and sprayed during the war. Since 2020, a consortium that includes NPA, MAG, and PeaceTrees has worked to map, identify, and neutralize remaining UXOs in the former Quang Binh Province.

Poverty remains a challenge, and is concentrated in remote areas, with rates exceeding 30% in some ethnic minority communes. There are often thousands of persons with disabilities, including Agent Orange victims, of whom many are children. Additionally, many communities lack adequate access to healthcare, education, and employment opportunities.

However, province by province, American veterans and ordinary citizens, hand in hand with Vietnamese agencies, can contribute to educating the children and helping vulnerable groups receive the support they need to improve their living conditions, as well as creating an environment in which communities can at last live safely, peacefully, and happily.

To donate, please go to: renewvn.org/donate/

All contributions to Friends of Project RENEW are tax-deductible as provided by US law, as a charitable organization as defined under section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code. Donors will receive a tax substantiation letter or email upon receipt of their contributions.

Nadya Williams has been the Director of Communications and an active associate member of Veterans For Peace, San Francisco Chapter 69, since 2003.

Ordnance safely removed before being destroyed.

Mine education class for Cam Thuy Primary School children.