The “bomb cutting village” in Quang Tri

A scrap warehouse in Trieu Phong District which used to keep hundreds of bombshells.

Several years ago, almost all villagers went to the forest to search for bombshells and bullets left from the wartime to sell for scrap collectors, said Tran Quang Khanh, 50, Tan Hiep village chief.

Recently the number of villagers who earn their living by collecting wartime scraps has reduced because the sources of scrap metal became scarce. Those who are still pursuing this job have to go deep into the forest for many days to be able to find scraps.

Phuong said in 1995-1998, he could buy over 150 tons of war scraps a month.

Pham Van Phuong, 53, the only scrap trader in Tan Hiep, said his family has been doing this job for more than 20 years. In the early 90s, every day Phuong purchased tons of bombshells of all kinds. Phuong said in 1995-1998, he could buy over 150 tons of war scraps a month.

Phuong said war scrap collectors and war scrap traders always face possibility of death. Phuong said he did not buy bombshells and bullets that look new and those still having fuses.

Most war scrap traders buy bombshells and bullets and then open them to take explosive out themselves to sell explosive and the metal.

Phuong said the price for explosives is cheaper than the metal covers.

"I had over ten colleagues in the districts of Cam Lo, Gio Linh, Vinh Linh, and Huong Hoa but most of them are dead. In the village of Tan Lap, four colleagues of mine died of bomb blast. Two of them died in Gio Linh district and one in Vinh Linh district,” Phuong said.

About 300 meters from Phuong’s house is the home of Vo Van Truc, 46, the man who is considered lucky among dozens of scrap collectorswho were victims of bomb and land-mine blasts.

Seven years ago, an M79 shell exploded, taking Truc’s right leg. He had abandoned this job to become a fisherman.

Seven years ago, an M79 shell exploded, taking Truc’s right leg.

Phuong said he was considering quitting. After the blast in Ha Dong District, Hanoi last week, he sold his war scrap warehouse.

Phuong said war scraps are getting scarce in Quang Tri thanks to mine and explosive clearance projects funded by foreign organizations.

Quang Tri has more than 391,000 hectares of land contaminated with mines and explosives left from the Vietnam War, accounting for 83.8% of the whole area of the province. The Ministry of Defence estimated that at the current speed of explosive and mine clearance, Quang Tri will be free from explosives and mines in hundreds of years.

According to data from the explosive clearing projects in Quang Tri, there are over 10 points purchasing war scrap metal, mostly in the border district of Huong Hoa. War scrap collectors often go into the jungle for weeks to search for war scrap and sell the scrap metal to traders at the forest edge. They even go to Laos to seek scrap.