On April 22, Mr. Diep Van Quang, 57 years old, Dong Cao village, Thong Nhat commune, took the reporter to his family's forest, about 300m from Hong Cam quarry (Hoanh Bo Construction Stone Exploitation Company Limited).
At the scene, there were hundreds of pieces of rock and soil of different sizes scattered on the ground, the largest stone was about 45cm long and 40cm wide.
Mr. Diep Van Quang shared: For more than a week now, during a forest visit, my family has discovered a lot of rocks and soil scattered in the forest after each time Hong Cam mine blasted. This phenomenon occurred before Typhoon Yagi. Now that we are preparing to replant forests, this situation is recurring. The family is very worried because if the acacia trees are hit by rocks and soil, it is unknown if they can survive.
"It is not clear how much explosives the quarry used, but in reality, there were explosions so strong that they shook the corrugated iron roof and windows, causing many cracks to appear in the house. Recently, I have asked the quarries to increase the support level for the family, but the quarries have not responded," said Mr. Quang.
According to the reporter's observation, the stone mining area of Hong Cam mine is a steep cliff. Workers move by sticking to and climbing the ropes released from the top of the mountain down to the cliffs that are being drilled with explosives, which looks very dangerous.
That is Dung Huy mine where workers drilling and blasting rocks also made similar moves.
Right below the steep cliff are excavators, cars and stone crushers in operation.
Following the hill, the reporter continued to Dong Vai village, Thong Nhat commune (the back of Dung Huy and Hong Cam mines).
Ms. Pham Thi Net, 48 years old, Dong Vai village, indignantly said: "Sometimes the mine blasts and breaks rocks, the wind blows to the village, causing thick dust. The yard is covered with a layer of dust, and must be swept every day. Although Hong Cam mine supports my family with 7 million VND/year, we only hope that the mines will soon end their operations. Because the house is cracked, dusty and noisy, it greatly affects the health of family members."
According to information from the People's Committee of Thong Nhat commune, Dong Cao village currently has three quarries of companies in operation, including: Huu Nghi Construction Materials Joint Stock Company, Dung Huy Trading Joint Stock Company (Dung Huy mine) and Hoanh Bo Construction Stone Exploitation Company Limited (Hong Cam mine).
Immediately after receiving feedback from the people, the People's Committee of the commune held a meeting between the enterprise and households in Dong Cao village to resolve the people's petitions and agreed on a support plan for households affected by stone mining activities.
Through the review, in 2024, 74 households were affected, of which 9 households near the mine were supported with 8 million VND/household; the remaining 65 households received 4.61 million VND/household. In total, 302 people were supported with 500,000 VND/person to buy health insurance.
In the first review in 2025, in Dong Cao village, there were 87 households and 362 people affected by stone mining activities.
On April 23, talking to the Lao Dong Newspaper reporter, Mr. Tran Canh Duong - Vice Chairman of the People's Committee of Thong Nhat Commune - said: “The most recent meeting among households and businesses on 11.4 has not yet agreed to support the affected households. The recommendation of the house cracked, affecting the trees and crops of some households and the People's Committee of the commune has sent the actual inspection, to ensure that the government will be independent. To survey and assess the level of influence and continue handling according to regulations ”.
