The German Ministry of Foreign Affairs has funded a number of projects to help the central province of Thua Thien-Hue disarm unexploded ordnances (UXOs) left over from the war. In March 2014, the ministry pledged EUR257,911 to implement a project clearing bombs and mines in A Luoi district; developing information management tools; and building a provincial database and an Information Management System for Mine Action for the province, where many sites were fierce battles during the American war. In 2012, the German ministry funded similar projects in Huong Thuy town and Hong Bac commune of A Luoi district, and Quang Loi commune of Quang Dien district, which turned nearly 220 ha contaminated by UXOs into farming land. It also supported the locals in agricultural activities and raised their awareness of UXO risks, according to Nguyen Thanh Binh, Director of the provincial Department for External Relations. Germany has aided the province in other fields such as education-training, heritage preservation, and disaster prevention and control. Thua Thien-Hue has more than 172,400 hectares of land polluted with UXOs or 34.4% of its total area - one of the highest levels in Vietnam. The worst affected districts are A Luoi (65,000 ha), Phong Dien (39,000 ha), Nam Dong (18,000 ha) and Huong Tra (13,000 ha). (Vietnam News Nov 20, Cong An Nhan Dan – People’s Security Nov 21 p1)
