English/Nat

Twenty years on from the Vietnam War, the Americans are returning to South East Asia to help clear up the most heavily bombed country on Earth.

The U-S dropped more than two million tons of explosives on Laos in an attempt to halt communism in the region. Today, hundreds continue to be killed by the bombs that still litter the country.

This week a U-S military delegation has been visiting Laos to examine how the lethal weapons, once dropped by their B-52 bombers, can be cleared.

In its war against communism the U-S Air force dropped the equivalent of a plane load of bombs every 8 minutes for 9 years on Laos.

More than two decades later thousands of bombs remain unexploded. Every year hundreds are killed or injured by the devices.

This week, the American military returned to Laos The eight man team is here to design an aid package to help clear some of the bombs.

For both Laos and the U-S the project is politically sensitive. Ex British soldiers working on the country's only humanitarian bomb disposal project have been advising the American delegation. But they remain shocked by what the U-S military once unleashed on this land.

SOUNDBITE:

What shocks me, and it does shock me, is the indiscriminate approach of the bombing...'it doesn't matter who we kill or how we kill but we will kill someone'.

I think that was the most shocking part about coming out here. I did not realize the extent the Americans had gone into bombing one country'.

SUPER CAPTION: Steven Wilson, Mines Advisory Group

In Xieng Khouang Province more people have been killed and injured by the bombs in the past 20 years than during the actual war.

Most victims are killed outright, survivors are left to struggle in poorly equipped hospitals. This man lost his leg when he hit a bomb in his paddy field.

SOUNDBITE:(in Lao) :

When it happened I had to sell my rice field and everything we had so that I could come

to the city for treatment.

SUPER CAPTION: Bousbong Sarasas, US bomb victim

Many risk their lives for a few cents from scrap dealers. Over 40 per cent of those killed are children.

The addition of an American clearance team will help with education and training of Laos' own disposal teams. But some residents in Xieng Khouang remain wary of

Americans.

SOUNDBITE:

We are happy to see them again if they would like to come and help our people and

not just drop bombs on them like they did before.

SUPER CAPTION: Soumaly Dengcham. Lives in Xieng Khouang

While the United States now seems willing to assist in disposal, its own war dead remain the priority.

SOUNDBITE:

Our main interest here is accounting for our people still missing from the period of

the Indochina War and over the last 6 years we have built a steady relationship here in tackling that problem. That has had an overall effect on the bilateral relationship.

SUPER CAPTION: Victor Thansett, US ambassador to Laos

Both Laotian and American diplomats have long been uncomfortable about returning US forces to Laos. But the mission this time will be to diffuse the legacy that brought such bitterness.

1) B-52 bomber (Vietnam b-roll)

2) dropping bombs

3) US unexploded bomb in Lao village

4) US military delegation fly over Laos in helicopter

5) helicopter cu

6) US military briefed by British Mines Advisory Group(MAG)

7)) Lao MAG de-miner digs out detected bomb

8) cu pulls out small bomb

9) MAG leader with team workers

10) ms establisher

11) ca crew member

12) soundbite Steven Wilson

13) Lao officer counts down to detonation of ordnance

14) cu detonator button

15) bomb blast

16) Pan in local hospital of bomb victims

17) cu of old woman who lost leg by bomb

18) father and daughter sit together

19) ca of father's wooden leg

20) soundbite Bousbong Sarasas

21) child piles two bomb shells in a scrap yard stack

22) 3,000 Ib bomb outside house (not defused)

23) cu writing on bomb ' from USA bomb'

24) soundbite Soumaly Dengcham

25) cu detects bomb in school floor

26) soundbite Victor Thansett

27) pan to bomb site

28) cu as hand uncovers bomb

Vietnamese/Nat

U-S emergency relief supplies have arrived in Vietnam, which is being devastated by the worst floods in four decades.

The Mekong Delta, Vietnam's rice basket, has been deluged since July and the floods are known to have killed at least 469 people.

Over the past two weeks, 99 people have been killed by flash floods and landslides around the country.

Over 200,000 families still need emergency supplies.

The authorities estimate that the floods have caused at least 250 (m) million dollars worth of damage, with more than 800,000 homes damaged.

Officials are worried that that more flooding could occur.

A U-S cargo plane arrived on Wednesday with enough plastic sheeting to shelter 4,000 families evacuated from the floods.

The American contribution was a sign of improved relations a quarter-century after the end of the Vietnam War.

The cargo plane will return on Friday with two huge water purification tanks for 2000 families who remain isolated.

They will also bring 13 motorized inflatable boats for rescue operations.

It is only the third time since the end of the Vietnam War in 1975 that the US Air Force has sent specially tasked relief flights to Vietnam.

Three years ago Typhoon Linda, and then flooding which killed more than 700 people last year, both received US aid.

The most urgent need now for us and for our villages are small boats.

SOUNDBITE: (Vietnamese)

"The people here now need at least about 300 small boats."

SUPER CAPTION: Nguyen Van Hien, village official

SOUNDBITE: (Vietnamese)

"The most urgent need now for us and for our villages are small boats."

SUPER CAPTION: Pham Thanh Binh, village official

Mekong Delta, Hue, and Ho Chi Minh City, October 19/18 2000

Mekong Delta

1. Various of flood water in villages

2. Mother poling herself and her children on raft through water

3. Various of people on boats

4. Various of water up to roof of huts

5. SOUNDBITE: (Vietnamese) Pham Thanh Binh, village official

6. SOUNDBITE: (Vietnamese) Nguyen Van Hien, village official

Ho Chi Minh City

7. US cargo plane taxiing

8. Zoom into aid inside plane

9. Various of aid being unloaded

Central Highlands

10. Various of Red Cross aid being taken off by boat

11. Various of people watching aid being off loaded

12. Aid being distributed to people with papers

13. Floodwater up to hut rooftops

14. Soldier with baby

15. Soldiers helping people into boat

16. Soldiers helping evacuate people

17. Soldiers unloading aid from truck

Oct 18 Hue NIGHT SHOTS

18. Various of people taking boats out from homes

19. People loading up boats with food and water

20. Children in classroom serving as refuge

Natural Sound

Vietnam has been celebrating the 25th anniversary of the end of its war, and the reunification of the country.

Thousands gathered at the Reunification Palace in Ho Chi Minh city, formerly known as Saigon.

Dignitaries present included the Vietnamese prime minister, the communist party chief, and the architects of the victory over the French and Americans in 1975

Celebrations have been taking place in Vietnam of the 25th anniversary of the end of the

war, with a parade of thousands and a festival of song and speeches.

An estimated 20-thousand people gathered at Reunification Palace, the focal point of the celebrations, which were shown live on television across the nation.

The palace was decorated with a larger-than life portrait of legendary communist leader Ho Chi Minh and eight long banners saluting the victory over the United States and its South Vietnamese allies.

Representatives of the Army, Navy, Air Force and militia formed a vast semicircle on the palace lawn.

Youth groups and workers outside the circle flashed the Vietnamese flag - red, with a gold star in the centre.

In a keynote address, Ho Chi Minh Mayor, Vo Viet Thanh, looked back to the heroism of the war but focused mainly on the country's economic problems.

Looking ahead to the new millennium, he outlined the goals for the city, including a higher economic growth rate, greater efficiency in business performance and less

restrictive policies.

The men who made this day possible were there, including General Vo Nguyen Giap, the architect of victories over both the French and Americans, and General Van Tien Dung, commander of the Ho Chi Minh Campaign that toppled the old non-communist capital of Saigon on April 30, 1975.

When Saigon fell, it was renamed Ho Chi Minh City.

The dignitaries also included Communist Party chief Le Kha Phieu and Prime Minister Phan Van Khai.

Soldiers, police on motorcycles, and goose-stepping troops paraded past the

reviewing stand an hour after dawn.

They were followed by civilian marchers, bearing flags and banners of legendary communist leader Ho Chi Minh.

Viewers and marchers alike fanned themselves with paper flags on what was already a hot, sunny day.

The song, "Uncle Ho Lives in the Great Victory Day" was the theme for weekend ceremonies across the country.

Ho Chi Minh City's wide boulevards were bathed in a rainbow of the bright colors of spring - red, blue, yellow and purple.

Trees, utility poles and street corners were festooned with the flags of Vietnam and the Communist Party.

Tanks 390 and 843 crashed through the gates of what was then known as Independence Palace and the communists hoisted their flag at 11:30 a-m on that fateful day a

quarter of a century ago.

Vietnam was reunified and the building was renamed Reunification Palace, it is now a museum.

Ho Chi Minh died in 1969, he is said to have inspired the communists to fight to the last man.

All sides sacrificed heavily: 58-thousand Americans dead, along with 1.1(m) million communist fighters, more than 200-thousand South Vietnamese soldiers and nearly 2 (m) million civilians, according to official Vietnamese reports.

America's direct military intervention in Vietnam ended on January 27, 1973, when Washington and Hanoi signed the Paris Peace Agreement.

Ho Chi Minh City - April 29, 2000

APTN

1. Tilt down exterior of Reunification Palace

2. Mid shot, person holding balloons

3. Wide shot, Saigon Mayor Vo Viet Thanh making speech

4. Mid shot, military delegates

5. Pan across troops

6. Delegates saluting

7. Mid shot delegates sitting

8. Close shot, General Vo Nguyen Giap

9. Mid shot, balloons floating away

10. Wide shot, balloons over palace

11. Military vehicle with flag driving past delegates

12. Pull out from delegates saluting, to motorcycles driving past

13. Various, troops marching past

14. Naval troops marching past crowd

15. Wide shot, troops passing palace

16. Close shot, marching troops

17. Mid shot, audience applauding

18. Wide shot, troops marching past palace

VIETNAM TV

19. Mid shot, women marching with banner of Ho Chi Minh

20. Wide shot, same

21. Close shot, boys marching with red flags

22. Marchers with float saying "2000"

23. Close shot, float

24. Wide shot, palace

25. Close shot, marchers waving at delegates

26. Wide shot, same

27. Pan to marchers on stilts

28. Women marching, throwing paper and waving hats

29. Wide shot, same

Vietnam denied accusations on Friday that it deployed naval vessels to disputed waters in the South China Sea where China positioned an oil rig earlier this month.

Coast Guard commander Ngo Ngoc Thu told a news conference in Hanoi that no Vietnamese naval vessels were in the area where China's rig 981 is positioned.

But he did confirm that vessels from the Coast Guard and Fisheries Surveillance agencies had been deployed to the location, which is near the disputed Paracel Islands.

The latest footage released by the Vietnam Coast Guard, said to have been shot on Tuesday, shows Chinese vessels using water cannon against a Vietnamese Fisheries Surveillance ship.

Vietnam is now considering taking legal action against China over the dispute, with a Foreign Ministry official telling Friday's news conference that preparations were being made for "all of the options available".

Tran Duy Hai, Deputy Director of Vietnam's National Border Committee said the country "will defend our sovereignty by all means".

++CLIENTS PLEASE USE THIS VERSION WHICH REPLACES DIGITAL BREAKUP++

VIETNAM COAST GUARD HANDOUT

South China Sea - 20 May 2014

++4:3++

1. Wide of Chinese oil rig 981 seen from Vietnam Coast Guard vessel

2. Various of Chinese Coast Guard vessel blasting horn and whistle

3. Chinese vessel firing water canon onto Vietnam's fisheries surveillance ship

4. Pan of Chinese and Vietnamese vessels near oil rig

AP TELEVISION

Hanoi - 23 May 2014

++16:9++

5. Wide of news conference

6. SOUNDBITE (Vietnamese): Ngo Ngoc Thu, Commander, Vietnam Coast Guard:

"Vietnam has deployed a limited number of vessels from the Coast Guard and Fisheries Surveillance agencies. Vietnam absolutely does not have any navy ships in the area (where rig 981 is positioned)."

7. Wide of news conference

8. SOUNDBITE (Vietnamese) Nguyen Thi Thanh Ha, Director of International Law Department, Ministry of Foreign Affairs:

"Vietnam does not rule out any peaceful measures to resolve the dispute in the South China Sea. Therefore we are preparing what is necessary for all of the options available, including taking legal action (against China)."

9. Cameramen

10. SOUNDBITE (Vietnamese) Tran Duy Hai, Deputy Director of National Border Committee:

"Vietnam is determined to protect its sovereignty through peaceful measures. We do not want war to happen. But, as the prime minister said recently, if we are cornered, we need to defend ourselves; and we will defend our sovereignty by all means."

11. Wide of news conference

12. SOUNDBITE: (Vietnamese) Le Hai Binh, spokesperson of Ministry of Foreign Affairs:

"The Vietnamese government once again affirms that we will take all necessary actions to guarantee the security and safety of personnel, as well as property belonging to foreign enterprises in Vietnam; and to prevent any future incidents."

13. Wide of news conference

VOICE OVER:

(nat of rubber zodiac boat and spray sound)

RISING FROM THE SOUTH CHINA SEA, THE PARACEL ISLANDS APPEAR REMOTE AND BARREN - BUT THEY

ARE A GEOPOLITICAL BATTLEGROUND BETWEEN CHINA AND VIETNAM.

AND THESE CHINESE TOURISTS WHO MAKE THE 20 HOUR VOYAGE TO THE ISLANDS THE CHINESE CALL

XISHA, ARE BEIJING'S FOOT SOLDIERS.

SOUNDBITE: (English) Bonnie Glaser, Center for Strategic and International Studies:

"China has a comprehensive strategy to demonstrate their claims over the Xisha Islands and tourism is an important part of that."

FORTY YEARS AGO CHINA SEIZED THE ISLANDS FROM VIETNAM BY MILITARY FORCE - BUT VIETNAM

STILL CLAIMS THEM AS THERE'S.

THE DISCOVERY OF OIL NEAR THE ISLAND CHAIN HAS LEAD TO A MORE AGGRESSIVE STANCE BY THE

CHINESE.

(UPSOUND - Vietnamese commentary)

ITS WAR SHIPS PATROL THE AREA, AND IN MAY, CHINA MOVED AN OIL DRILLING RIG NEAR THE ISLANDS -

SETTING OFF A SERIES OF CONFRONTATIONS BETWEEN CHINESE AND VIETNAMESE COAST GUARDS.

(UPSOUND - sound of metal against metal as one ship collides with another)

SOUNDBITE: (English) Bonnie Glaser, Center for Strategic and International Studies:

"Vietnam, I think, has very few options. It does not want to have a confrontation with China that could actually flare into conflict. Sending military ships to stop tourists probably not a good idea."

TRAVELING WITH A SHIP FULL OF TOURISTS, THE ASSOCIATED PRESS IS THE FIRST NEWS

ORGANIZATION PERMITTED TO VISIT THE DISPUTED ISLANDS.

THE TOURISTS COME FOR THE SCENERY AND BEACHES.

(UPSOUND FROM VOLLEYBALL GAME)

BUT THEY ALSO KNOW THEY'RE HELPING PROMOTE CHINA'S CLAIMS OF SOVEREIGNTY.

SOUNDBITE: (Mandarin) Zhang Jing, Xisha Islands Tourist:

"This is Chinese territory and we can come whenever we want. As a Chinese I feel proud to come here and declare the sovereignty."

TO STRENGTHEN ITS CLAIMS BEIJING ALSO SUBSIDIZES FISHERMAN TO LIVE ON AND FISH OFF THE

ISLANDS FOR PART OF THE YEAR.

SOUNDBITE: (Mandarin) Fan Quishing, Xisha Islands Fisherman

"You say this island is your territory, but if you don't have people living on this island, how can you prove it to others."

CHINA'S DISPUTE WITH VIETNAM IS JUST ONE OF SEVERAL IN THE SOUTH CHINA SEAS.

IT'S ALSO INVOLVED IN MARITIME CLAIMS WITH THE PHILIPPINES, BRUNEI, MALAYSIA AND TAIWAN, AND

WITH JAPAN OVER ISLANDS IN THE EAST CHINA SEA.

(upsound - horn honks)

BUT, WITH ITS UNQUENCHABLE NEED FOR OIL AND GAS, IT APPEARS BEIJING WILL CONTINUE TO CLAIM

SOVEREIGNTY OVER THE DISPUTED ISLANDS - AND TOURISTS WILL KEEP FLOCKING TO THE PARACEL

ISLANDS TO WAVE THE FLAG.

TOM RITCHIE, ASSOCIATED PRESS

AP TELEVISION

Paracel Islands, South China Sea

1. Wide view of island - pan to tourists in Zodiac boat

2. Wide of Chinese tourists getting off boat

3. Mid view of sandals coming ashore in the surf

AP TELEVISION

Washington, DC September 23, 2014

4. SOUNDBITE: (English) Bonnie Glaser, Center for Strategic and International Studies: (transcript below)

5. WIDE MAP OF SOUTH CHINA SEA WHERE PARACEL ISLANDS ARE LOCATED

VIETNAM COASTGUARD HANDOUT - MUST COURTESY VIETNAM COASTGUARD

SOUTH CHINA SEA - May, 2014

6. Sailors on bow of coast guard vessel

XINHUA NEWS AGENCY - COURTESY XINHUA NEWS AGENCY

7. Still photographic image of drilling rig

VIETNAM COASTGUARD HANDOUT - MUST COURTESY VIETNAM COASTGUARD

SOUTH CHINA SEA - May, 2014

8. Chinese coast guard boat

9. Chinese coast patrol vessel

(UPSOUND - Vietnamese commentary)

10. Mid view of Chinese oil drilling platform

11. Wide view of Chinese oil drilling platform

12. Chinese ship collides with Vietnamese ship

13. UPSOUND - sound of metal scraping against the hulls of the ships

AP TELEVISION

Washington, DC September 23, 2014

14. SOUNDBITE: (English) Bonnie Glaser, Center for Strategic and International Studies: (transcript below)

AP TELEVISION

Hainan Island, People's Republic of China - September 14, 2014

15. Close view of Chinese tourists boarding cruise ship

16. Wide of Chinese tourists on beach

17. UPSOUND - volleyball on the beach

18. Zhang Jing holding flag of People's Republic of China

19. Close of flag of People's Republic of China

20. SOUNDBITE: (Mandarin) Zhang Jing, Xisha Islands Tourist: (transcript below)

(WIDE OF BEACH COVERS SECOND PORTION OF BITE)

21. Midview of fisherman in his shack

22. SOUNDBITE: (Mandarin) Fan Qiusheng, Xisha Islands Fisherman: (transcript below)

VIETNAM COASTGUARD HANDOUT - MUST COURTESY VIETNAM COASTGUARD

SOUTH CHINA SEA - May, 2014

23. Wide of Chinese coast guard vessel ramming Vietnamese vessel

AP GRAPHICS

24. Map of South China Sea

AP TELEVISION

Beijing, China 25 September, 2014

25. Wide of traffic in Beijing

26. Mid view of traffic in Beijing

AP TELEVISION

Paracel Islands - 14 September, 2014

27. Wide of island

28. Tourist with snorkle gear

29. Close view of Chinese flag on flag pole