Vietnam's prime minister says more than 42,000 people have been killed and more than 62,000 have been wounded by abandoned bombs, mines and other explosives since the Vietnam War ended in 1975.

Nguyen Tan Dung delivered the grim statistics of the war's legacy Monday at an international mine action donors conference in Hanoi.

Vietnam is seeking half a billion dollars for its campaign to remove the unexploded ordnance.

The United States used 16 million tons of bombs and ammunition in the war while allied with the former South Vietnam government, which was defeated by northern communist fighters who reunified the country.

U.S. Ambassador David Shear told the gathering Washington has provided $62 million to help Vietnam cope with the painful war legacy.

Vietnamese officials say it will take decades to clear the hundreds of thousands of hectares – approximately one-fifth of the country – of the remaining explosives.