Low supply of sand and gravel
According to the leader of the Department of Natural Resources and Environment of Quang Ngai province, currently, the supply of construction materials such as soil, stone, sand, and gravel to serve public investment projects in the province in general and the western area of the province (old Kon Tum) in particular is lacking.
Of the 54 mineral mines in the West of Quang Ngai province, there are 15 stone mines for common construction materials; 33 sand mines; 3 soil mines and 3 clay mines for bricks and tiles. According to the functional sector, the supply of construction materials for public investment projects is in serious shortage, especially in remote areas.
Mr. Vo Minh Vuong - Deputy Director of the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development of Quang Ngai province - said that the western part of the province has not large reserves of construction sand on rivers, and is not distributed evenly. Worryingly, illegal sand mining is still happening. The supply of construction materials in the communes in the Northwest and Southwest of the province is falling into a state of inadequate supply and demand.
Mr. Duong Dang Khoa - Vice Chairman of Tu Mo Rong Commune People's Committee - said that the commune currently has 5 planned mines, including 2 sand and stone mines under exploitation and 2 auctioned land mines. The demand for construction materials, especially sand, is very large to serve key projects in the 2026 - 2030 period. However, weak transport infrastructure and high transportation costs have caused mineral prices to increase, causing difficulties for businesses. Mr. Khoa proposed that the Provincial People's Committee extend the exploitation of 2 sand and stone mines until January 2026 and grant licenses to 2 fill mines to solve the shortage of fill soil.
According to a representative of a business in the western area of Quang Ngai, the price of sand purchased at the mine currently ranges from 300,000 - 320,000 VND/m3. Transportation cost is about 3,000 VND/m3/km. In Mang Ry commune, whenever there is a need to buy sand, households and construction units are forced to transport it from Dak To commune, about 50km from the locality. The transportation distance is long, while the traffic infrastructure is seriously degraded. As a result, the price of sand when brought to Mang Ry commune has exceeded the 500,000 VND/m3 mark.
Key projects in the West are at risk of lacking construction materials
To solve difficulties in the supply of construction materials for public investment projects, the Department of Natural Resources and Environment has proposed that the People's Committee of Quang Ngai province consider applying a special mechanism according to Resolution No. 66/2025/NQ-CP dated September 21, 2025 of the Government. For projects that do not generate minerals for common construction materials during construction, it is proposed to grant a license to explore and exploit construction materials according to the designated mechanism, in order to remove obstacles in the implementation of the Law on Geology and Minerals in 2024.
According to Mr. Do Tam Hien - Vice Chairman of the People's Committee of Quang Ngai province, the provincial leaders have requested the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development to urgently coordinate with the Department of Finance to review, inspect and evaluate the overall planning of the province in the coming time; in which, focusing on mineral mines, ensuring that there is no shortage of construction materials, affecting the rights of the people and the State. The province will study and develop coordination regulations between sectors, forces and localities in mineral management; strengthen inspection of the activities of mines under exploitation, mines that have expired or are reclaimed, promptly detect and handle violations according to regulations.
