(VNF) – 17 years ago, cluster bombs left by the war took away Ho Van Lai’s limbs and vision. Nowadays, he is working to protect people, particularly children, from being harmed by unexploded ordnance (UXO).

The war ended in 1975, but since then, unexploded bombs, landmines, and other weapons have killed more than 40,000 people and maimed about 60,000 others in Vietnam.

According to the Vietnamese Ministry of National Defense, there are still 800,000 tons of explosive material left to be cleared, which will take the country 300 years.

Ho Van Lai’s hometown, Quang Tri province, was one of the most heavily bombed regions in Vietnam during the U.S. military campaign, which came to an end in 1975.

The 28-year-old man, from Cua Viet Town in Quang Tri Province, has come a long way since sustaining multiple serious injuries because of unexploded ordnance (UXO) 17 years ago.

On a morning of June 2000, while he was playing around with three cousins near his home, the four came across what were several cluster bombs buried in some sand.

Out of curiosity, Lai smashed one to see what was inside, and the ordnance went off without warning.

When Lai regained consciousness a few days later in the hospital, he was shocked to find out what he had loss: two of his cousins and part of his body.

The disaster caused by UXO has affected 86 percent of his body, include missing both legs and his right arm. The explosion also took away his left eye, leaving the right eye terribly injured (vision level: 2/10).

Ho Van Lai teaches students in Trung Giang secondary school on how to stay safe from UXOs (source: Tuoi Tre News)

The explosion was an incident which changed Lai’s life. There was time of depression and desperation, inevitably.

Struggling to overcome extreme physical agony, his mental anguish, nowadays, he is exerting efforts in ensuring safety for others, through helping them stay away from UXO hazards.

Lai join ‘Nguoi Van Dong,’ an organization founded in 2012 to connect UXO victims and their relatives in Quang Tri, raise awareness of the UXO problem and heal the wounds of war.

“The first step is always the hardest”. To Lai, the first lesson he gave to his young trainees was unforgettable.

“I trembled uncontrollably and was at a loss for words on my first public speaking occasion. I thought that the kids would laugh at me, but they had shown me encouragement and trust, instead, through the look in their eyes. It was them who brought confidence back to me,” he recalled.

Nowadays, Lai has been become a fluent and poised speaker in front of his trainees. “The education sessions have now become heart-to-heart,” Lai said.

According to Lai, he finds happiness from talking to people on UXO threats, stressing that the work is something that make his life more meaningful.

At the moment, Lai has been actively working on various education and communication campaign in Quang Tri, to raise students' awareness of UXO.

“I was a UXO victim due to my limited awareness. That’s why I’m here to make sure none of you will suffer as I do,” Lai said during one of his regular education sessions with school students.

Lai, with his positivity and enthusiasm in preventing UXO tragedy from happening, has impressed many.

Nguyen Thanh Phu, a senior member of Project RENEW, an UXO removal initiative in Quang Tri, who has frequently worked alongside Nguoi Van Dong volunteers, was filled with admiration for Lai’s persistence.

“He is not only a great educator, but also inspires the younger generation with his touching life story, that was shared from his heart” Phu remarked.

Ho Van Lai (green T-shirt) amongst friends (source: Lai's Facebook)

“To ensure effective education on UXO nationwide, we need more volunteers like Lai,” he added.

And Lai is not the only one UXO victims who is, instead of grieving on his own loss, achieving greatness in eradicating the “ghosts of war”. Apart from Lai, the other members in "The Activist" group are all UXO victims and their relatives, including Pham Quy Thi, have traveled throughout the province to hold talks with residents.

Thi, in his early 60s, who lost his hand in an explosion 40 years ago, is now an international ambassador who has traveled to 30 countries around the world to give lectures and raise awareness of the consequences of explosive remnants from the U.S. war in Vietnam, and campaign against the production, sale and storage of explosives.

43 years after the war, Vietnamese people, like Thi, Lai and Phu, together with others, have chosen to become dedicated fighters with the post-war issues.

“Vietnamese people are the biggest source of inspiration we found here. Instead of waiting for others to help, they joined hand with the other to settle the postwar issues,” said Emma Walker, a visitor from American University (Washington DC, US)./.

( VNF )