Residents in An Chau village (Hoa Phu commune, Hoa Vang district, Da Nang city) have repeatedly reported severe landslides and soil erosion, causing significant agricultural land loss and making land uncultivable.

Locals say the affected area was previously licensed to Hiep Dai Hung Co for clay mining.

Initially, the company provided support to affected households. By 2023, it withdrew all machinery and stopped operations without restituting land, repairing local roads, and implementing measures to enable farming.

Nguyen Phan Bon, An Chau village head, said Hiep Dai Hung began mining clay in 2005. It provided support to locals in the first months but then stopped in 2022 on the day it stopped exploitation. 

Bon added that rice fields have been abandoned, and are unusable for farming. Nearly 20 local households are affected.

VietNamNet reporters, who arrived at the site on May 13, observed that what was once a lush rice field in An Chau is now desolate, with land torn into large patches after heavy rains.

Fields are carved into gullies, fertile soil washed away, exposing barren rocky layers. Deep pits, some holes with overhead height and openings spanning dozens of sqm, have appeared.

Irrigation channels for farming are broken, fields cannot be cultivated, and large areas are abandoned. Locals say the situation is worsening without resolution.

Bon said this area was once a green rice field. Now the entire field can’t be planted. People have no land for production. Bon said he is concerned about landslides threatening a nearby 500kV power line.

According to Da Nang’s Department of Natural Resources and Environment (now Department of Agriculture and Environment), Hiep Dai Hung one year ago submitted dossiers asking for approval for the proposal to close the clay mine. After the inspection on September 17, 2024, the department requested the company to revise and supplement the plan, and implement solutions to revive the environment and ensure absolute safety in the post-mining area.

In early December 2024, the company said that it was following procedures for bankruptcy declaration. Meanwhile, it still had not fulfilled the duties on land restitution as per regulations.

In response, the Department of Natural Resources and Environment proposed that the Department of Finance prevent the company from dissolving, forcing it to complete obligations before losing legal status.

The department added it would continue measures to enforce the company’s responsibilities for mine closure, environmental, and land restoration after mining.

At a voter meeting in late April, Tran Chi Cuong, Da Nang’s Vice Chair, said the city directed that dissolution would not be approved until responsibilities are met.

Vu Diep