VietNamNet Bridge - More than 4.5 tons of gold and 1.6 tons of silver have been exploited from two gold mines in the central province of Quang Nam - Bong Mieu in Phu Ninh district and Dak Sa in Phuoc Son district.

This is the two largest gold mines in Vietnam that has been licensed to make joint ventures with foreign partners to explore gold and silver.

After more than eight years, the two mines have exploited more than 4.5 tons of gold and 1.6 tons of silver. Specifically, Bong Mieu got more than 1.79 tons of gold and 671 kg of silver while Dak Sa got more than 2.77 tons of gold and more than 1 ton of silver.

During this period, the mining companies paid taxes worth more than VND663 billion (over $33 million).

At a recent meeting with the Phuoc Son Gold Company, Vice Chairman of Quang Nam People's Committee Nguyen Ngoc Quang said that under the mining licence, the gold output mined in Quang Nam must be entirely exported. However, the chair asked to consider processing gold for domestic consumption in order to increase revenue to the national and local budgets.

Quang Nam province is considered to be rich in mineral resources. The province is believed to have the largest gold reserve in Vietnam. However, illegal gold mining has been a big problem in the province for more than 20 years.

Illegal mining activities have made negative impacts on the watershed environment.

Vu Trung