Communities in Laos are in danger from unexploded bombs
Over five decades after the devastating Vietnam war, unexploded bombs are still claiming lives today.
Rural villagers in neighboring Laos must navigate their lives around the millions of tons of explosives that were dropped during 580,000 bombing missions. That’s equivalent to a planeload of bombs being dropped on communities every eight minutes, 24 hours a day, for nine years.
More than 50 years after the war, these deadly items remain a threat and a daily reality for thousands of communities. Every bomb could kill. The harsh reality for people is that they are forced to use land contaminated with explosives. People know that each time they plow or plant a harvest or simply let their children play outside they are risking death or injury from a hidden bomb. Year after year they tread carefully, farm as small a patch as they can manage, and try to minimize the risks.
Working together, MAG and Restoration Laos are finally bringing the Vietnam War to an end, one village at a time. Every unexploded bomb cleared is a life saved, an opportunity for a village to grow, for children to learn and play, and for families to live without fear.
"I joined MAG in 2019 as a Technician. Growing up, I found many bombs when carrying out the daily tasks and I would report them to the village chief."
Noy, 23 years old, From Lang Khang village, Boualapha district, Khammouane
The lifesaving difference you can make
MAG has been working in Laos since 1994 and has teams of expert technicians working in Khammouane and Xieng Khoung provinces, searching out and destroying bombs in places where people live and work.
While the problem is vast, incremental progress matters: every paddy that is cleared can produce rice, and every school yard can become a place of play without fear of deadly explosions.
In April 2022, Michael and Darreby Ambler started Restoration Laos to fund one MAG clearance team - MAT 53 - which would otherwise not have existed. Michael had first visited Laos as a tourist, became increasingly captivated by the beauty of the country, and finally came to learn abut the continuing devastation caused by the bombing half a century ago. He says, “the horror of the Vietnam War was part of my childhood. It was heartbreaking to learn this long-ago war is still killing people in Laos and making them afraid to live on their own land.”
The job of MAT 53 was to carefully check farmland for bombs, and destroy explosives as they found them. Over the three years of Restoration Laos’ sponsorship, MAT 53 returned farmland and safety to villagers who had been waiting for decades to resume their lives free of fear. As their work continues, and Restoration Laos is able to meet a new challenge: an emergency response team, ready to answer the call when people find bombs in their homes, farms and villages.
Clearing the Way to Safety: Explosive Ordnance Disposal Team at Work in Khammouane Province
Starting in April 2025, Restoration Laos and MAG are deploying a highly trained Explosive Ordnance Disposal teamnear the Vietnam border in the Boualapha and Gnommalath districts of Khammouane province, one of the most UXO-contaminated areas of Laos.
This eight-member team is made up of a team leader, five bomb technicians, a medic, and a driver. Their mission is to respond rapidly to reports of unexploded bombs from local communities. These reports often originate with children, who frequently are the first to spot unexploded bombs nestling in foliage. Every report is checked to make sure that it is in fact an explosive item; then the Explosive Ordnance Disposal team moves quickly to safely destroy the item.
Every call the team responds to removes a deadly threat and returns land to safe use, allowing families to farm, travel, and live without fear. This work is especially critical in remote and impoverished areas, where access to safe land is vital for survival and development.
