Weighing 227 kilograms, the Mark 82 bomb (MK82) was produced by the U.S. to use during the war (1955-1975).

It was found one meter underground in a residential area of Tan Thanh Commune in Huong Hoa District of Quang Tri. The discovery was made when a family was preparing soil for farming purposes.

As the bomb had a mechanical timer fuse, it was impossible to move around and as decided by the Quang Tri Military Command, had to be unearthed and destroyed right where it was found.

Lieutenant Colonel Ho Viet Hung, head of the command’s Combat Engineer Division, which oversees destroying the bomb, said the threat was high as the bomb had a blast radius of up to 1,500 meters.

The detonation of the bomb, carried out last Saturday, requested 100 families to be evacuated.

In a process controlled from afar, combat engineers separated the part with the detonator from the part that contains the explosive.

After being removed from the bomb, the part with the detonator was destroyed at the site while the part with the explosive was moved to the area where the Combat Engineer Division usually destroys bombs and explosives.

In the past two years, the division has detonated 201 bombs, including four classified as "extremely dangerous" that must be handled at the scene.

From 1954 to 1972, Ben Hai River in Quang Tri was a temporary demarcation line between the south and north of Vietnam during the Vietnam War.

Quang Tri, as a result, suffered the most bombings throughout the war, with 83% of its area contaminated by explosive remnants. Around 800,000 pieces of unexploded ordnance have been dealt with in the area thanks to the help of several non-governmental organizations.

A message of peace blooms in a garden of bombs

A ex-navy mechanic who lost his grandfather to a bomb has opened a garden of bombs to remind current and future generations about the horrors of war.

1.5 ton bomb cache found on building site

Vietnam's military discovered 1.5 tons of unexploded bombs and bullets while building a housing unit in the central province of Quang Tri.

Film adaptation of literary classic ‘The Tale of Kieu’ bombs at box-office

The latest movie adaption of literary classic ‘The Tale of Kieu’ reported a loss after box-office collections of just VND2.7 billion ($117,480), and has moved online.

Thousands evacuated as bomb found during house construction in northern Vietnam

A family in Vinh Phuc Province has found a 340-kg bomb when digging the ground to build their house, prompting evacuation of 1,700 people in their neighborhood.

340-kg wartime bomb found in south central rice field

Bomb disposal experts in the south central Binh Thuan Province have removed a 340-kilogram bomb left from the Vietnam War, carrying 183 kilograms of explosives.

Source: VnExpress