Despite the opposition of the Mekong River Commission and its arm in Vietnam, Laos has built hydropower plants along the Mekong River, so experts at a conference in Tien Giang last week pondered whether it is necessary to raise their protests again.

After resettling to make way for new hydropower plants and their reservoirs throughout the central region, many households find that life has yet to return to normal.

 VietNamNet Bridge – Earthquakes and incidents of soil collapse have occurred more frequently near hydropower plant areas in recent months. No detailed conclusions have been made about the cases.

Yesterday morning the two largest dams in Tinh Gia distric, Thanh Hoa province ruptured, submerging hundreds of houses and the National Highway 1A which connects the north to the south.

VietNamNet Bridge – The country has 330 dams in poor state, including 64 with a capacity of more than one million cubic metres that face the risk of breaking, according to the Irrigation Department.