Thinking about Ta Soi, the 'golden heartland'...

"Traces" at the foot of Mount Oc

We first learned about the name Ta Soi around 2014-2015. At that time, Ta Soi was a mountainous area belonging to Chau Hanh commune, district.Quy Chau(Old) – appeared quite frequently in the press. The reason was that this area had gold deposits, and because of the gold, illegal mining led to many negative consequences, especially environmental pollution, which made it very difficult for the Party Committee and the government of Quy Chau district at that time to crack down on and expel the miners.

In mid-August 2025, the name Ta Soi suddenly reappeared in some articles and was spread through social media with the information that a company had been licensed to carry out a gold mining project in Ta Soi, and they had already taken initial steps.

The information came as a surprise. As far as we knew, illegal gold mining had been pushed back over time. By around 2019, the "Ta Soi gold mining area" had faded into oblivion, replaced by the Ta Soi acacia plantation area. But "seeing is believing," so we went up to Ta Soi.

Unlike the "gold mining areas" of Huoi Hang (formerly Que Phong district) or Ban Xan, Pu Phen (formerly Tuong Duong district)..., the road to Ta Soi is quite convenient. Following National Highway 48 through Quy Chau commune, at Khe Han bridge, turn right to follow the trail uphill for about 30 minutes, passing through many patches of acacia plantations to the foot of Oc mountain. Here, the guide, Mr. Cao Van Tu, an officer of the Quy Chau Forest Protection Department, checked the coordinates on his device and said: "This is the area where the gold mining project is being carried out, also known as the 'gold heartland' of Ta Soi..."

Mount Oc (called Len Hoi or Pha Hoi by the Thai people) is a towering rocky mountain. Surrounding Mount Oc are gently sloping earthen hills and endless stretches of lush green acacia forests. From the middle of Mount Oc, two streams meander through the valleys formed by the earthen hills. According to Tu, the people of Ta Soi village call them Khe Bo and Khe Hin Lap. When asked if he knew the history of the "Ta Soi gold region," Tu said he had only recently arrived in the area. However, he revealed that there is a man who has run a livestock farm at the foot of Mount Oc for many years and can answer the questions we wanted to know.

We met a man at the foot of Mount Oc, named Nguyen Huu Khieu, a thin but lively and agile man. Khieu told us he was from the North, had a house in the New Market hamlet, Tan Lac town (formerly), was married into the Ta Soi village, and had run a livestock farm at the foot of Mount Oc for over 10 years. Then, with the "capital" of information accumulated over the years, Khieu recounted everything to us. From the old stories of the "Ta Soi gold region" passed down by the elders of Ta Soi village, to the ups and downs during the period of illegal gold mining...

Connecting the dots, dating back to the colonial and feudal era, the French discovered gold deposits in the Ta Soi area and organized mining operations. Although fading over time, traces of French activity remain around Mount Oc, including bunkers and mine shafts. Even the gently sloping hills near Mount Oc serve as waste disposal sites for the French during their mining operations. These remnants of French mining formed the basis for a geological unit to access Ta Soi and conduct exploration. The results of this exploration led to the identification of several gold ore deposits in the Ta Soi area, which locals refer to as mines 2A, 2B, 5, and 6.

Around 1993-1994, illegal gold mining began to flourish in Ta Soi. People from all over the country, from the North, from various districts and towns in the province, and from the local area flocked here to search for gold. Many "gold wells" were found in areas 2A and 5, but after many years, they were filled in by floods. However, the tragic stories are still remembered by the local people. Among them is the incident where a family of three from Ninh Binh came to Ta Soi to search for gold, but unfortunately, two of them died after descending into a "gold well"...

Illegal gold mining, carried out by organized groups, persisted until around 2014-2015, when it essentially ceased. In recent years, a few groups have occasionally ventured in to mine, but they have all been discovered and inspected by local authorities, who confiscated their equipment. In March of this year, a small group of people entered the foothills of Oc Mountain to dig for gold, but were discovered by local residents who reported them to the authorities, leading to a force being organized to drive them away…

Based on the stories we heard, we asked Mr. Nguyen Huu Khieu to take us to see the remaining traces around Oc Mountain. At the location where the group of illegal miners operated in March 2025, due to heavy rains in July, only a landslide remains halfway up Oc Mountain. But the "trenches" of the "geological unit" are still intact. These "trenches" are deep holes, 4-5 meters deep, nearly 1 meter wide, and up to 8 meters long. Although obscured by bushes, the edges and corners of the holes are square and sharp, evidence of human activity in taking soil and rock samples for mineral exploration...

The project "kicks off" after 7 years since its license was granted.

Leaving Ta Soi, through various sources we were able to access Mineral Exploitation License No. 3906/GP-BTNMT dated February 27, 2018, issued by the former Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment to Do Linh Joint Stock Company, along with some related documents.

Information on License No. 3906/GP-BTNMT shows that Do Linh Joint Stock Company is authorized to mine primary gold ore using both open-pit and underground methods in the Ta Soi area, Chau Hanh commune, Quy Chau district (now Quy Chau commune). The mining area covers 40 hectares (open-pit mining from +237m to +129m level, underground mining from +200m to +130m level); the permitted mineral reserves for mining design are 56,820 tons of ore, containing 327.3 kg of gold.

The exploitable reserves are 55,073 tons of ore, containing 314.66 kg of gold; of which 21,888 tons of ore (containing 74.96 kg of gold) are from open-pit mining, and 33,185 tons of ore (containing 239.7 kg of gold) are from underground mining. The mining capacity is 2,350 tons of ore per year (1,000 tons per year from open-pit mining and 1,350 tons per year from underground mining); the term for open-pit mining is 24.5 years (with a 2.5-year basic mine construction period); the term for underground mining is 27.5 years (with a 2.5-year basic mine construction period).

In License No. 3906/GP-BTNMT, the former Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment outlined several requirements for Do Linh Joint Stock Company to implement. These included paying fees as stipulated by current regulations; paying fees for mineral exploitation rights; organizing gold ore mining according to the specified coordinates, area, depth, reserves, and capacity. Furthermore, it required the company to submit a mine design, prepared, appraised, and approved in accordance with the law, to the competent state agency before commencing mining; report to the former Nghe An Provincial Department of Natural Resources and Environment for on-site inspection to determine coordinates, mining layout, and demarcate the boundaries of the permitted mining area; and complete the land use conversion procedures as prescribed by law.

In particular, it is necessary to fully implement the contents of the environmental impact assessment report and the provisions of the law on environmental protection; and to be responsible for environmental protection in mineral exploitation as prescribed by law…

Given the above information, a question arises: Licensed since 2018, why has Do Linh Joint Stock Company not yet implemented its gold mining project after 7 years? The answer can be found in Report No. 169/2024/HDKS-DL dated January 6, 2025, from Do Linh Joint Stock Company to the former Department of Natural Resources and Environment. According to this report, as of this time, Do Linh Joint Stock Company is only carrying out compensation and resettlement support for organizations and individuals using the land that is being reclaimed.

However, they encountered difficulties such as: “The compensation rates stipulated by the State have changed”; “The deposit for reforestation has also increased”; “After the company negotiated and reached an agreement with the households on compensation, support, and land clearance, the households requested a temporary halt to wait for the new land price list and the increased cost of reforestation. The company had to rebalance its investment finances. To date, Do Linh Joint Stock Company is submitting land clearance documents and procedures to extend its investment certificate to continue the land lease process and proceed with mineral exploitation. Due to subjective and objective reasons, the investment and exploitation process has been prolonged.”

Also in Report No. 169/2024/HDKS-DL, Do Linh Joint Stock Company proposed: “Do Linh Joint Stock Company will fully comply with the payment of mining rights fees and annual environmental deposit fees. It will organize the protection of the mining area, prevent illegal mining, and ensure safety, security, and order in the area and the locality. Do Linh Joint Stock Company respectfully requests the leadership of the former Department of Natural Resources and Environment to create favorable conditions for the company to complete the procedures according to State regulations and quickly bring the mine into operation, creating jobs and income for local people, and stabilizing security and order in the area.”

Information from Report No. 169/2024/HDKS-DL of Do Linh Joint Stock Company was verified by Mr. Tran Dinh Phu, a specialist in the Mineral Resources Department (formerly the Department of Agriculture and Environment). According to Mr. Phu, for the gold mining project in the Ta Soi area to become operational, the investor still has many tasks to complete. These include completing land clearance and re-preparing the environmental impact assessment report as required.

Mr. Tran Dinh Phu explained: “The 40-hectare area for which Do Linh Joint Stock Company is licensed to exploit is forest land that the State has allocated to local people. To organize exploitation, the land must first be cleared and the land allocated by the State must be completed. Furthermore, the investor is currently consulting with local authorities and preparing a revised environmental impact assessment report for submission to the competent authorities for review and approval in accordance with the law…”

Worry… a distant worry

The newly established Quỳ Châu commune leadership essentially lacks a precise understanding of the reasons behind the delay in the Tà Sỏi gold mining project. However, their view is that since the project has been licensed by the competent authorities, they should facilitate the completion of related procedures. Nevertheless, they require the investor to strictly and fully comply with all legal regulations, especially regarding security, order, and environmental protection. Furthermore, they emphasize the responsibility for future management once the project becomes operational.

As stated by Tran Bao Linh, Vice Chairman of the Quy Chau Commune People's Committee: “We recognize our responsibility to strictly manage the mining activities of the enterprise and the licensed mining area. Therefore, after the investor completes the procedures, the Quy Chau Commune People's Committee will work with them to agree on management measures. An effective monitoring mechanism needs to be established to prevent negative consequences from gold mining activities…”

Over the past few days, we have also contacted some former leaders of Quy Chau district to hear about the time when illegal gold mining in Ta Soi was rampant. The former Chairman of the Quy Chau District People's Committee, Ngo Duc Thuan, said that in 2014-2015, as Vice Chairman of the District People's Committee, he was tasked with cracking down on illegal gold mining groups. He explained that this task involved driving out the groups, burning their camps, and confiscating their machinery and equipment – ​​all extremely difficult tasks. Regarding the Ta Soi gold mining project, Mr. Thuan stated that once the enterprise is licensed, carrying out the necessary procedures to begin mining is a matter of course. However, current officials in Quy Chau commune should look back to the past years in the gold mining areas of Chau Phong, Chau Nga, and Chau Hanh in the former Quy Chau district to gather data on potential problems and prepare appropriate management measures.

Mr. Ngo Duc Thuan said: "To be granted permission to exploit minerals, the project dossiers of enterprises always comply with regulations and have very good explanations. However, during the implementation process, discrepancies often occur, leading to negative consequences for the local area…".