The Ministry of National Defence told eight provinces and relevant ministries to closely monitor forestry projects implemented by foreign companies in Viet Nam, Tuoi tre (Youth) newspaper reported.

The projects were only permitted to continue if they ensured that residents benefited and didn't employ foreign labourers, according to an official document the ministry sent the provinces. The ministry would revoke foreign companies' licences if their forest-growing projects were found to affect the environment, national security or defence.

In recent years, the eight provinces have allowed foreign companies to plant trees in about 275,000 hectares of land without permission from the ministry.

The provinces are: Binh Phuoc, Lang Son, Quang Ninh, Nghe An, Quang Nam, Binh Dinh, Phu Yen and Kon Tum.

Dang Huy Hau, vice chairman of the People's Committee of Quang Ninh Province, said the document had been informed to local authorised agencies.

Hau said Quang Ninh only issued one licence, to Taiwan's InnovGreen Company Limited and the 1,700-ha project was obeying all regulations.

Provincial Forestry Division Head Duong Minh Tuan said the division inspected the project often to ensure it was developing in line with the law.

In 2007 the People's Committee of central Nghe An Province approved InnovGreen's proposal to grow 60,000 ha of forest, said Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Ha Cong Tuan.

However, in 2008, after carefully considering the project, the committee only gave the green light to planting about 16,800 ha of forest in Que Phong, Quy Hop and Ky Son districts, he said.

Deputy head of Nghe An Province's Agriculture and Rural Development Department Nguyen Tien Lam said that in 2010 the provincial People's Committee stopped the project after finding that the company just planted several ha of acacia trees. 

VNS