At the end of July, reporters' records at the Ben Den rare earth exploitation project area, located in Gia Phu and Bao Thang communes, many items serving exploration work have been formed.
Through observation, the project area is located in the middle of large cinnamon and acacia hills. A part of the hillside has been peeled off to serve the exploration and ore sampling process. Around the mine area, factories and tank systems appear to serve ore sorting and treatment.
According to Bao Thang Commune People's Committee, recently, the locality organized a direct dialogue with 44 households affected by the project in Canh Dia village.
At the meeting, the government and specialized agencies informed about the legal basis, investment policy, exploitation licenses as well as compensation, support, and resettlement policies.
Information from the representative of the investor, Khanh An Industrial Joint Stock Company, the project has a usable area of over 398ha, stretching across the two communes of Bao Thang and Gia Phu.
Compensation, site clearance and exploitation will be carried out in a rolling manner, starting from Ben Den 3 area, then to Ben Den 2 and Ben Den 1.
The enterprise commits to fully pay compensation and support according to regulations; and prioritize local labor recruitment, implement environmental protection solutions...
Mr. Do Ngoc Son - Vice Chairman of Bao Thang Commune People's Committee - said that the locality will review all legitimate petitions of the people, coordinate with the investor to deploy compensation, support and resettlement in accordance with regulations, ensuring publicity and transparency.
According to Bao Thang Commune People's Committee, creating consensus among the people is an important factor for the project to be implemented on schedule.
Through investigation, in April 2025, Lao Cai Provincial People's Committee approved the Ben Den Rare Earth Exploitation Construction Investment Project.
The project has a total investment of about 119 billion VND, an area of over 398ha, of which the mining area is nearly 395ha and the auxiliary area is nearly 3.7ha. About 150 households are within the project's scope of impact. The mining period is 20 years.
Through surveys, the project implementation area is mainly cinnamon, acacia and forestry land, without natural forests.
The first year will be trial exploitation with a capacity of 150 tons/year; from the second year to the 13th year, it will reach about 1,500 tons/year, then gradually reduce and end exploitation in the 20th year.
Exploitation activities apply on-site separation technology, so they only take place in the dry season, about 180-200 days per year.
According to the assessment of functional agencies, the project is consistent with the Northern Midlands and Mountains Region Plan for the period 2021-2030, vision to 2050 and is expected to contribute to forming a chain of exploitation and processing of rare earths in the country, promoting the resource advantages of Lao Cai.
Some images at the project implementation area:
