Calm after the golden 'dream'

(Baonghean.vn) - The mining ships left and the placer gold gradually depleted.Shortly after, the last of the money from alluvial gold mining ran out...People have to receive rice and salt from the State's support policy.

The few stilt houses in Ngon village (Yen Hoa - Tuong Duong). Photo: Ho Phuong

Ban Ngon, Yen Hoa commune, Tuong Duong district (Nghe An) is located along National Highway 48C. Passersby can easily mistake this small Thai hamlet for a new economic village from the lowlands. Most of the houses along the road are built quite well. Looking closely, you can see the stilt houses nestled behind the houses built in the back. Right in the middle of the village is a motel with coffee shops, making this place even more "bustling" compared to neighboring villages.

Ngon village used to be the most prosperous of the inner communes of Tuong Duong district. The communes of Yen Hoa, Yen Thang, Yen Na, Yen Tinh are collectively known as the “4 Yen” region, the “golden navel” of the Western Nghe An region, and Ngon village used to be the busiest gold mining area. Vang Hon wharf right next to the village is also known as the “golden” wharf.

The machine used to mine gold is now just a souvenir for the people of Ngon village. Photo: Huu Vi

The people of the “4 Yen” region are very proud of the gifts that nature has bestowed upon their village. They sing that “In Muong Xieng Yen, picking up gold is as easy as picking up silkworms in a basket”. After working in the fields, the people of Ngon village go down to the stream to pan for gold to sell. Money and spending are not a concern.

Mr. Lo Van Man, former Commune Team Leader of Yen Hoa Commune, said: Since the 1990s, when the gold ships had not yet arrived en masse, with only rudimentary tools, a person could easily earn from 5 to 1 tael of gold a day.

Money is easy to earn and easy to spend. Except for a few families who are conscious of saving, they still have enough to eat and drink. For the most part, money gradually disappears. It comes and goes like a dream. Many people get addicted to gambling. The money earned from gold mining is all based on white smoke and gambling all day and night.

The shovel used by the people of Ngon village to get soil for gold mining. Photo: Ho Phuong

“God cannot give us forever. Everything will run out.” – after finishing his pipe of tobacco, Mr. Man continued his story. Since the late 90s, gold mining ships from Thai Nguyen, Nam Dinh, Vinh City and Tuong Duong District have been arriving.

At one point, there were dozens of gold ships in the Hoi Nguyen River section passing through Ngon village alone. The most up-to-date locals also saw the business opportunity and joined forces to buy gold extraction machines. Ngon village became a real gold mining site, operating day and night.

The small village of only a few dozen households suddenly became bustling like never before. People from near and far competed to dig. For a long time, the Hoi Nguyen River was a dead red. No fish or shrimp could survive. The fields were abandoned.

The gold mine became more accessible when Highway 48C opened in 2003. That was also the time when Ngon village and neighboring villages became rich. People competed to buy cars and build houses. A nearby gold mine owner owned a motel, karaoke bar, coffee shop, cars, and excavators. Houses sprang up one after another.

Men in Ngon village today return to the forest to plant trees, weave baskets... Photo: Huu Vi

Just a few years ago, gold mining in Ngon village was very active. Until the middle of the first decade of the 21st century, the Hoi Nguyen riverbed was still red and thick. At that time, the local government seemed powerless to deal with the problem of gold mining in the area. The gold ships only withdrew in 2012 when the local government stepped up its crackdown on illegal gold mining in the area.

That was when the gold ran out. People left simply because there was no more alluvial gold to mine.

Ban Ngon and the surrounding settlements returned to their original tranquility. The abandoned gold ships left behind a dead river stretching over 20km from Yen Hoa commune to Tam Quang commune. It took a few years for people to be able to fish again.

The prosperous years passed like a dream. Soon, the last coins earned from gold panning were spent. Coffee shops and motels gradually became empty. People started to reduce room rates; karaoke hours were down to 100,000 VND but still very few people came.

Women of Ngon village return to growing vegetables and raising livestock and poultry. Photo: Ho Phuong

Mr. Nguyen Van Toan, who once owned a gold mining machine, now sits weaving bamboo baskets to sell. The powerful generator is placed next to a pile of rusted firewood. He said that a few years ago it was used to generate electricity. But now the machine is broken and only waiting to be sold as scrap. It is also one of the last remaining relics of a prosperous period of a gold mine.

Every day, Mr. Toan weaves 3 baskets. People buy each one for 30,000 VND. If he sells baskets every day, his income will last for days, months.

A corner of Ngon village. Photo: Huu Vi

On a late afternoon, Ngon village is as quiet as many other Thai villages. Mr. Luong Van Tan - Village Chief shared that the whole village now has 65 households with 240 people. Recently, many villagers have had to rely on the government's rice and salt support policy.

Huu Vi - Ho Phuong