VietNamNet Bridge – Dozens of sand ships illegally explore sand in the 10km section of Red River in Hanoi. Some ships even suck sand near the feet of the Vinh Tuy and Thanh Tri bridges.

These ships work illegally but publically.

They exploit sand at any place.

This ship even sucks sand at the foot of Thanh Tri bridge.

Not far from this ship, four others also exploit sand.

Locals said that illegal sand ships often work at night or in the early morning.

They are often full of sand at 8-9 am.

The cameraman was threatened by a man on the ship.

When ships are full with sand, they move to sand grounds on the riverbank. There are tens

of sand grounds on the riverbank running from Long Bien to Thuong Tin districts.

Sand exploited from other provinces is also transported to these sand ground to serve construction sites in Hanoi.

Lieutenant-Colonel Nguyen Van Cuong, vice chief of the Hanoi Waterway Transport Police Department,

said that it is difficult to control illegal sand ships because they don’t work under

a fixed schedule and sand exploiters are often hostile to police.

Source: VNE