Trump freezes funds to clear unexploded mines in Vietnam

The Trump administration has suspended funding for clearing thousands of unexploded mines in Vietnam, threatening reconciliation efforts five decades after the Vietnam War ended.

Amid sweeping foreign aid cuts, the State Department announced a three-month suspension of mine clearance in Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia in January. The freeze temporarily left 1,000 Vietnamese deminers jobless in Quang Tri province, which has the highest concentration of unexploded ordnance (UXO). Though some operations resumed in April after diplomatic pressure, the future of U.S.-funded operations in Vietnam are in limbo as the 90-day review deadline passed without resolution.

UXO has caused more than 105,000 casualties, including over 38,000 Vietnamese civilian deaths since 1975. Funding for Agent Orange cleanup at Bien Hoa air base was similarly affected, leaving dioxin-contaminated soil untreated. Agent Orange continues to cause cancers, birth defects and other health issues across generations.

“Donald Trump threatens to sabotage — and I don’t use that word lightly — sabotage 30 years of cooperation with a key partner in one of the most challenging regions of the world,” former Sen. Patrick J. Leahy (D-Vt.) told the Washington Post, adding that the only country that “can really be happy” about the “colossal mistake” is China.

With Chinese troops marching across Ho Chi Minh City during this year’s military parade for the first time, critics warn the diplomatic uncertainty comes at a critical moment for U.S. influence in the region.