VietNamNet Bridge – The fact that the Binh Thuan provincial authorities have agreed to extend the project to discover a treasure at Tau Mountain has raised a worry that the environment and geological conditions would be severely affected.

Binh Thuan authorities license man to search 4,000-ton-gold treasure

The Tau Mountain in Tuy Phong district in Binh Dinh province is located next to the Highway No 1. Seen from the underneath, there are now only some solitary large rocks and several clusters of thin plants.

The deserted mining site

Local people say 20 years ago, the Tau Mountain was green with the diversified floristic cover, including peach, crape myrtle and apricots.

The beautiful landscape then attracted a lot of people, who came here not only to visit the mountain and admire the beauty, but also to chop down apricot trees.

A lot of trees were cut by to be sold to people who like displaying apricot as ornamental trees at their homes.

The Tau Mountain has become more deserted since they day it became the mining site, where people try to excavate the treasure they believe are under the earth.

The Binh Thuan provincial authorities have recently allowed Tran Van Tiep, 98, residing in Phu Nhuan district in HCM City, to continue exploring the Tau Mountain for one more year.

Tiep has been allowed to drill for gold on an area of 2,600 square meters. Besides, Tiep can also set off mines to separate hard rocks.

Tiep and his associates left the mining site six months ago when the discovery got expired. The mountain is now deserted. The booths installed before by the miners have been left idle. There are only old pots and broken TV antenna lying about on the ground.

There are no more machines or equipment on the mining site. The whole eastern mountain side has become the land of rubble.

The mining site has been visited regularly by the animals, which come to seek the wild grass growing very well. The “entrance door” to the treasure has nearly been closed.

There are three big holes with muddy water, which could be the dangerous traps for any visitors.

There are also the piles of rubbles which may fall down to the people’s salt fields below.

The treasure hunt safe for the environment?

Nguyen Huu Quy, Chair of the Binh Thuan provincial Association of the Nature and Environment Protection, affirmed that the mining would not affect the environment.

Quy said the mountain is small and the floristic cover is poor, while the discoverers can also set off mines in a limited area, therefore, this would not cause serious impacts.

The influences to the environment could be just the dust, accidents or the explosive loss.

Also according to Quy, the Tau Mountain has been created mostly by rocks, not soil. Even though the salt fields are located right at the foot of the mountain, he does not think that the mine explosion would lead to the landslide and the filling of the fields.

What makes local people unpleased is that the local authorities have many times extended the project to discover the 4,000 ton gold treasure. Besides, Quy said, it would be dangerous if the explosive are carried away and sold on the market.

NLD