XII.98 The Secretariat informed the Bureau that the presence of unexploded ordnance (UXO) at the site, following the Vietnam War, has affected the archaeological research of newly-discovered areas, restoration of eight monumental areas, as well as site presentation for visitors. The Bureau noted that the Vietnamese authorities demined unexploded ordnance at four main monuments since 1975. This demining work is progressing slowly, mainly due to lack of funds.
XII.99 The Bureau also noted that, at the request of Vietnamese authorities, the UNESCO Bangkok Office, the Italian Government and the Lerici Foundation carried out a three-year research project (1999--2001) to use non-invasive methods to map the underground archaeological remains of the My Son World Heritage site. Identification of buried structures as well as unexploded mines was completed in 2001. A UNESCO-Italian Funds-In-Trust project (US$ 812,470) was approved by the Government of Italy in January 2002 in order to facilitate both the demining and restoration work on site. The implementation of this project is being co-ordinated by the World Heritage Centre, in co-operation with the UNESCO field offices in Bangkok and Hanoi.
XII.100 The Bureau expressed its appreciation to the authorities of Vietnam, the UNESCO Bangkok Office, the Lerici Foundation and the World Heritage Centre, for mobilizing the generous contribution of the Government of Italy to enhance the security, management, conservation and presentation of the mined and non-excavated areas of My Son World Heritage site. The Bureau requested the World Heritage Centre to report on the progress made in the implementation of this activity at its 27th session in April 2003.