'Strange' petition and the truth in Tien Dong
As a mountainous locality without a large river system flowing through it, there has been a report to the People's Council of Nghe An province: In Tien Dong commune, there are 5 sand mines illegally mining! Reporters from Nghe An Newspaper, Radio and Television went to the field to investigate and verify the incident...
Nhat Lan - Vo Hai• August 17, 2025
As a mountainous locality without a large river system flowing through it, there has been a report to the People's Council of Nghe An province: In Tien Dong commune, there are 5 sand mines illegally mining! Reporters from Nghe An Newspaper, Radio and Television went to the field to investigate and verify the incident...
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During 2 days (July 9-10), the "hotline" - online phone at the 31st session of the Nghe An Provincial People's Council received 47 voters' opinions reflecting on 57 pressing issues of people's livelihood. Accessing information on voters' opinions, we (reporters) were really interested in the opinion of a voter named Hoang Dinh Thiem, residing in Tien Dong commune, with the content reflecting that in this locality there are 5 sand mines that are illegally exploiting, seriously affecting the lives and production of the people.
We care, for two reasons.The first,For many days now, implementing the direction of the People's Committee of Nghe An province, the functional forces in the area have been focusing on the inspection, examination and rectification of sand and gravel mining activities. If the voters' reflection is correct, it is really a "hot" issue, and the management responsibility of the government and functional forces in Tien Dong commune is "problematic".Monday,Through our field trips, we have learned some facts about the two communes of Tien Ky and Dong Van of Tan Ky district (old), now Tien Dong commune. The most recent time was to learn about the implementation of a clean water project, bringing water from the high mountains at the source of some streams and creeks to help people, most of whom are ethnic minorities, have water to use. Therefore, we know that in the Tien Dong mountainous area, there are no large rivers flowing through, but only some streams and creeks such as Khe Son and Khe Chieng. Thus, the reflection that Tien Dong commune has up to 5 sand mines is a bit "strange", and seems not entirely accurate.
Concerned and because of that “strangeness”, we contacted the Department of Minerals - Nghe An Department of Agriculture and Environment to determine exactly how many sand and gravel mines there are in Tien Dong commune. After a few minutes of reviewing the documents, the staff of the Department of Minerals informed that in Tien Dong commune, there are no sand and gravel mines licensed for exploitation by the State.
By"voter Hoang Dinh Thiem"The feedback sent to the Provincial People's Council included a personal phone number, so we followed that to contact. However, after many attempts to connect, even though the phone was connected, no one answered. Only once did someone answer, a woman with a southern accent, who said she had dialed the wrong number, and affirmed that she did not know anyone named Hoang Dinh Thiem!
Contacting an officer who used to work in Dong Van commune, Tan Ky district (old), according to his assessment, such a reflection is not accurate. Because in Tien Dong commune there are only a few streams and creeks, after each rainy season, sand and gravel are deposited in some locations along the streams and creeks but the quality is poor. He said: “In Tien Dong commune, there can only be cases of people collecting sand and gravel along streams and creeks for family construction, but there is no illegal exploitation of up to 5 sand mines. Perhaps the person reflecting exaggerated the problem…”.
A few days later, we were informed by Mr. Nguyen Cong Luc - Head of the Minerals Division - Department of Agriculture and Environment that the Standing Committee of the Provincial People's Council had just issued a document assigning the Department to verify the petition of voter Hoang Dinh Thiem, Tien Dong commune. Accordingly, in Official Dispatch No. 134/HDND-TT dated July 21, 2025, the Standing Committee of the Provincial People's Council informed about the "Mr. Hoang Dinh Thiem, phone number 0981.451.6.. Tien Dong commune reported that in the commune there are currently 5 sand mines illegally exploiting, seriously affecting the lives and production of the people"; request the Department of Agriculture and Environment to inspect and handle voters' feedback. Head of the Minerals Department Nguyen Cong Luc also said that the Department has sent a document requesting the People's Committee of Tien Dong commune to inspect and resolve voters' opinions and recommendations and strengthen State management of the mineral sector, preventing illegal mineral exploitation. At the same time, officials have been sent to Tien Dong commune to verify and clarify the content of voters' feedback.
We have determined that in Tien Dong commune there are no sand and gravel mines licensed by the State for exploitation. However, there may still be illegal sand and gravel mining along streams and creeks, which requires increased attention and management. Therefore, the Department has sent staff to coordinate with Tien Dong commune to verify and clarify to report to the Standing Committee of the Provincial People's Council..."
Mr. Nguyen Cong Luc - Head of Minerals Department - Department of Agriculture and Environment
In early August, we went to Tien Dong commune. We walked around this mountainous commune, using a flycam to observe the streams such as Khe Thiem, Khe Son, Khe Da, Khe Than... and saw very few locations with deposited sand and gravel. We went to the locations with sand, including the upstream and downstream points of Ke Chieng bridge and Khe Than bridge. Through observation, we found that the sand reserves were not large, the sand quality was poor, mainly sand mixed with soil, pebbles, and trash. However, in these locations, there were trails leading to the beach, and there were also some wheel tracks going in and out...
Arriving at Tien Dong commune, the officials here said that the Party Secretary of the commune, Le Thi Theu, is a delegate of the Provincial People's Council, so she soon received feedback from the people."voter Hoang Dinh Thiem";Therefore, from July 17, 2025, Official Dispatch No. 65/UBND-KT was issued, directing local forces to coordinate with hamlet and village cadres to strengthen the management, exploitation, gathering, and transportation of sand and gravel in the area. Upon receiving the Document from the Department of Agriculture and Environment, the commune immediately established an inspection team to verify the information. The inspection team of the Commune People's Committee with the participation of the Commune Police contacted many times"voter Hoang Dinh Thiem"via the phone number sent to the Provincial People's Council. However, the phone rang but no one answered. Tien Dong Commune Police also checked the population data system, but there was no citizen named Hoang Dinh Thiem residing in the area.
The inspection team also conducted a field inspection and determined that in Tien Dong commune, there is a main stream originating from Tan Hop commune, flowing through Thung Mon, Tien Dong, Tan Dien, Vinh Dong, Lap Binh hamlets, Hien village, On village, Phay Thai Minh village to Binh Thanh Tho commune (old Anh Son district) with a length of about 20 km. On this stream, there are some places with sand deposits, and there is a situation where some local people exploit sand by manual, small-scale methods and transport it by ox carts and buffalo carts to serve the construction of family projects; there is no situation of illegal exploitation for business purposes and illegal profits.
Tien Dong Commune People's Committee then sent a report to the Department of Agriculture and Environment. At the same time, it directed extensive propaganda so that local people could understand and strictly comply with the laws on land and minerals. On the other hand, it implemented solutions to strengthen mineral management in the area, promptly detect and effectively prevent violations of the law in the field of land and minerals...
“Tien Dong commune is quite far from licensed sand mines, and there is no sand and gravel trading organization. Therefore, when people need sand and gravel, they have to buy sand and gravel outside the area, incurring additional transportation costs, so the price of sand is much higher than the general level. This is a disadvantage for the people of Tien Dong commune, who are already facing economic difficulties. Therefore, the People's Committee of the commune is studying the planning of a number of sand and gravel trading locations to reduce costs for the people. On the other hand, to do a good job of mineral management, Tien Dong commune People's Committee will put up signs prohibiting sand mining in locations with sand and gravel, and increase inspection activities in these areas…”, Mr. Dinh Xuan Lam - Vice Chairman of Tien Dong commune People's Committee discussed.
On the side of the Department of Agriculture and Environment, on August 1, 2025, there was Report No. 6214/SNNMT-KS“Regarding the settlement of voters' opinions and recommendations via the online telephone line at the 31st session of the Provincial People's Council”sent to the Provincial People's Council. Accordingly, the Department of Agriculture and Environment has sent officers to verify"voter Hoang Dinh Thiem",But“The person who answered the phone had a southern accent and confirmed that it was not Mr. Hoang Dinh Thiem's number.”. Monitoring data at the Department of Agriculture and Environment shows that in Tien Dong commune, there is no license for sand and gravel mining that has been granted by a competent authority. Therefore, the Department of Agriculture and Environment affirms that voters"There are reports that in the commune there are currently 5 sand mines illegally exploiting, seriously affecting people's lives and production"is baseless.
At the same time, the Department of Agriculture and Environment reported the verification work of the People's Committee of Tien Dong commune, that is, in this commune there is a main stream with a length of about 20 km, on the stream when the flood water flows, it carries a little sand in the small stream bed; there is a phenomenon of people using manual means (shovels, buffalo and cow carts) for small-scale use for family construction. And to rectify, the representative of the Department of Agriculture and Environment requested the People's Committee of Tien Dong commune to implement measures to protect unexploited minerals in general and sand and gravel in particular; propagate, mobilize and educate people to comply with the provisions of the law on minerals; at the same time, request the Tien Dong commune police to regularly inspect, monitor and handle violations of the law in the exploitation, transportation and consumption of minerals of illegal origin...
Meeting with an officer of the Nghe An Department of Agriculture and Environment to directly verify the issue mentioned in Tien Dong commune, Mr. Ho Ngoc Hiep - a specialist of the Department's Minerals Division said that he was assigned the task on July 21, but at that time there was storm No. 3, so he could only go to Tien Dong commune on July 24. However, when he arrived, the verification had to be postponed because Tien Dong area suffered from heavy rain, water in streams and creeks caused flooding in some areas. The second time, Mr. Hiep's verification had the same results as the Tien Dong Commune People's Committee reported, so the Department of Agriculture and Environment sent Report No. 6214/SNNMT-KS dated August 1, 2025 to the Provincial People's Council.
The information is fundamentally untrue. We hope to receive opinions and recommendations from voters to better perform our work. However, voters need to make correct recommendations, recommendations with a basis…”.
Mr. Ho Ngoc Hiep - expert of Minerals Department, Department of Agriculture and Environment of Nghe An
According to Vice Chairman of Tien Dong Commune People's Committee Dinh Xuan Lam, voters' voices are very important. Thanks to voters' opinions, the authorities can quickly detect existing problems and violations for inspection and handling, thereby fulfilling their assigned tasks and responsibilities. However, Vice Chairman of Tien Dong Commune People's Committee hopes that voters' opinions and recommendations need to be realistic and have clear documents.
Mr. Dinh Xuan Lam said: “With the government, when receiving opinions from voters and people, whether there is a basis or not, we will accept and check to have a direction for timely handling, in accordance with the provisions of the law. Tien Dong commune encourages local people to provide information to promptly detect existing violations in the area. However, the reflected opinions must ensure objectivity and accuracy, avoiding false information…”.
Participate in verifying feedback"voter Hoang Dinh Thiem", we agree with the above discussions of Mr. Ho Ngoc Hiep and Mr. Dinh Xuan Lam. Reality has proven that, thanks to absorbing the opinions of voters, the Party Committee and authorities at all levels of the province have promptly resolved many problems and difficulties at the local level; even brought to light and strictly handled many cases of law violations. However, there are still opinions and recommendations that are not accurate, leading to a waste of time for relevant agencies. In case the opinions reflected by"voter Hoang Dinh Thiem"There is inaccurate information, and the issue has been “exaggerated” as the official of Tan Ky district (formerly) commented. This should not happen, especially in a mountainous area with many difficulties like Tien Dong commune!
Attending the 31st session of the Provincial People's Council, upon receiving the feedback from the voters of my unit, I assigned the Commune People's Committee to verify and clarify. At the following Commune People's Council meeting, as a delegate of the Provincial People's Council and Secretary of the Commune Party Committee, I reported the verification results of the Commune People's Committee to the voters. In which, I stated the reality that a small number of people take advantage of sand and gravel from streams and creeks for construction in their families; thoroughly emphasized the need to strengthen State management, strengthen inspection and supervision to prevent people from arbitrarily exploiting sand and gravel without permission from competent State agencies. In addition, I also gave comments on the feedback from voters. Comments are intended to help voters in the area understand their rights. Providing false information is a violation of the law, causing bad public opinion in society...".
Ms. Le Thi Theu - Provincial People's Council delegate, Party Secretary of Tien Dong commune
