Land pirates" rampant, local authorities handle it hard
Over the past time, in some localities in Nghe An, there has been a situation where people self-organize the leveling and exploitation of hills in the family's land area, then transport and sell land to many places.
In Giai Lac commune, Nghe An province, in April 2026, the situation of illegal soil mining was complicated, especially at night. According to reports, taking advantage of the dark night, some subjects brought excavators into hillside areas to mine soil for many hours. Soil was loaded onto trucks and then transported elsewhere for sale or use.
This activity causes resource loss, potential safety risks, and affects the environment and people's lives. Local people said that they have repeatedly reported the incident to functional agencies. Although there were times when functional forces intervened, causing the operation to temporarily subside, but then this situation still recurred, mainly at night.
Leaders of Giai Lac Commune People's Committee confirmed that people's reflections are well-founded. The locality has directed functional forces to inspect and handle, and at the same time continue to monitor and strengthen preventive measures in the coming time.
According to records in many places, illegal soil exploitation activities often hide under the guise of garden improvement, ground elevation reduction, residential land or agricultural land embellishment. However, there are cases where the volume of soil exploited is large, means of transport operate continuously, causing dust, noise, causing damage to traffic roads and public outrage.
The handling of local authorities faces many difficulties. On the one hand, the need to improve land, build works, and renovate gardens and hills of the people is real. On the other hand, if there is no specific confirmation and management mechanism, the boundary between legal land improvement and illegal land exploitation is very easily exploited.
Guidance to remove obstacles for localities
On May 12, information from the Department of Agriculture and Environment (NNMT) of Nghe An province said that the unit had sent a document to the People's Committees of communes and wards in the province on the implementation of the provisions of the Law on Geology and Minerals under the authority of the Chairman of the Commune-level People's Committee.
According to the Nghe An Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, the current Law on Geology and Minerals has many contents that are decentralized and delegated to the Chairman of the Commune-level People's Committee. Among them, there is content confirming the recovery of minerals from renovation and construction activities on residential land and agricultural land.
Representatives of the Mineral Department, Department of Agriculture and Rural Environment of Nghe An province said that after the Law on Geology and Minerals took effect, some administrative procedures in the field of mineral management were decentralized to the commune level for implementation. However, in the early days, many localities were still confused and had not implemented it due to fear of errors, especially with new procedures related to mineral recovery confirmation.
Faced with that situation, the Mineral Department has advised the Department of Agriculture and Rural Environment to issue many directing and guiding documents, requesting the People's Committees of communes and wards to implement them in accordance with regulations. Up to now, the implementation at the grassroots level has had positive changes, contributing to removing obstacles for localities in managing soil and rock sources arising from renovation and construction activities.
The content of mineral recovery confirmation is specified in point d, clause 1, Article 75 of the Law on Geology and Minerals. Previously, the Nghe An Department of Agriculture and Rural Development issued Official Dispatch No. 8726/SNNMT-KS dated October 3, 2025 on guiding confirmation of mineral recovery registration under the authority of the Chairman of the Commune-level People's Committee.
In the process of implementation, if a surplus volume of minerals arises, people can recover them to serve other works and projects according to regulations. However, organizations and individuals recovering minerals must fulfill the obligation to pay rights fees, taxes, fees and other related financial obligations.
The Department of Agriculture and Rural Environment requests the People's Committees of communes and wards to study regulations, guidelines and implement them in localities, in order to solve the needs of people for renovation and construction of works on residential land and agricultural land in accordance with legal regulations.
