Cluster Munitions Coalition

More than three decades after the Vietnam War ended, explosive remnants from the conflict are still injuring and killing civilians in Vietnam. Unexploded cluster submunitions are among the deadliest legacies of the war. Known locally as “bombies, ” these tennis ball-sized bomblets are filled with thumb tack-sized pieces of metal that disperse upon detonation, frequently causing civilian injuries and deaths.

The Convention on Cluster Munitions will become binding international law on 1 August 2010 after reaching 30 ratifications in February. Vietnam’s neighbor, Lao PDR, which suffered the effects of the same war and is the most heavily cluster-bombed country in the world, has been a leader on the treaty and is hosting the First Meeting of States Parties to the convention in November. However, Vietnam has yet to sign the Convention.

As the Cluster Munition Coalition counts down to the Convention’s entry into force, we’re urging affected countries like Vietnam to join the treaty without delay.