Unexpected downpours on May 10 became “golden rain” for residents in a Quang Nam district. The rain washed alluvial gold down into local rivers and streams.

VietNamNet Bridge – Unexpected downpours on May 10 became “golden rain” for residents in a Quang Nam district. The rain washed alluvial gold down into rivers and streams at the foot of Ba Na Nui Chua Mountain.

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Thousands of people have flocked to this area to seek gold. Officials estimate that there are at least 50 gold trenches dug by over 400 people from other regions in addition to the hundreds made by residents. The gold miners claim that thousands from northern provinces have arrived.

Hundreds of vehicles and machines have been working day and night to dig through the soil along 10 kilometers of Vang (Gold) River’s banks, turning the area into a battlefield, killing the river’s ecosystem.

At the same time, residents who don’t sift for gold are offering to sell their fields, land and forests to the illegal gold miners, ranging from 20 to 150 million dong per 1000 sq.m of land with alluvial gold.

A Lang Hoang, a gold sifter, explained that the gold is available in the silt and stream beds, so it is very easy to sift. He calculated that one person can earn 150,000-200,000 dong ($7-10) a day on average.

Government officials complain that they are unable to deter illegal gold miners. Whenever inspectors go to the, gold sifters hide and then come back when the inspectors leave.

Pu Nep Gold Mining Enterprise, which has a gold mining licence for Vang River, reported that the firm collects 25-30kg of gold per year.

PV