Vietnam has recently discovered a large-scale mineral resource in the Central Central region, with preliminary evaluations identifying 12 areas containing gold ore, estimated at over 10 tons, along with nearly 16.5 tons of silver.

On April 11, Deputy Minister of Natural Resources and Environment Tran Quy Kien met with the General Department of Geology and Minerals of Vietnam to review the progress of a project assessing the overall mineral potential of the Central Central region. The goal is to support the socio-economic development of the area.

According to the report presented by Tran Binh Trong, Director General of the Department, the project has been underway since 2020 and covers the provinces of Quang Nam, Quang Ngai, Binh Dinh, Phu Yen, Kon Tum, Gia Lai, Dak Lak, and mountainous regions of Da Nang City.

Notably, during the survey and assessment process, specialists discovered 12 zones with gold ore, with total estimated reserves exceeding 10 tons of gold and nearly 16.5 tons of silver. In addition, 11 other large-scale promising areas have been outlined for further detailed research.

The project also includes a preliminary evaluation of six copper ore zones, with two areas showing significant potential. These two sites are estimated to hold over 154,379 tons of metallic copper.

In terms of construction material minerals, the Department of Geology and Minerals has surveyed 17 areas containing decorative stone blocks. Among them, three areas with a combined surface area of 360 hectares have been deemed eligible for inclusion in the planning for exploration, mining, processing, and use of minerals for the 2021-2030 period, with a vision to 2050.

Deputy Minister Tran Quy Kien emphasized the high economic value of the Central Central project findings. He directed the Department to accelerate the process of delineating promising areas and to reassess workloads in order to make suitable adjustments aligned with the project's objectives and current realities.

Previously, the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment announced results from its mineral survey project in the Northwest region, revealing more than 110 deposits of valuable minerals, including around 40 gold mines with a combined reserve of nearly 30 tons. Notably, a copper mine in Lao Cai was also found to contain an additional 420 kilograms of gold.

These latest survey results reaffirm Vietnam's substantial mineral potential and its critical role in shaping the nation's development strategies and securing national resource security.

Vu Diep