52 new gold mines discovered, Nghe An province has 4.
Of the 52 newly discovered gold mines, the Northwest region (including Nghe An and Thanh Hoa) has 40 mines, and the Central region has 12 mines.
On April 11th, information from the Department of Geology and Minerals (Ministry of Agriculture and Environment) indicated that during the implementation of the "Overall Assessment of Mineral Potential in the Central Central Region for Socio-Economic Development" project (referred to as the Central Central Region Project), the agency discovered 12 gold ore areas, with estimated resource reserves of over 10 tons of gold and over 16.4 tons of silver.
According to Mr. Tran Binh Trong, Director of the Department of Geology and Minerals, the project has been implemented from 2020 to the present on areas with mineral potential and signs in the provinces of Quang Nam, Quang Ngai, Binh Dinh, Phu Yen, Kon Tum, Gia Lai, Dak Lak, and the mountainous areas of Da Nang city.
The project comprises four sub-projects: a comprehensive assessment of the potential of metallic minerals; a comprehensive assessment of the potential of uranium ore; a comprehensive assessment of the potential of industrial minerals; and a comprehensive assessment of the potential of block stone for cladding purposes.
According to Mr. Duong Ngoc Tinh, representative of the Central Vietnam Geological Federation and Project Leader, the Vietnam Department of Geology and Minerals has so far conducted a comprehensive survey of the current status of 32 gold ore areas. Of these, the remaining resources of one mine have been assessed and transferred to the local authorities for management and exploration planning.
Notably, the units conducted preliminary assessments at a scale of 1:25,000 in 12 gold ore areas, with estimated resources including 10,093.9 kg of gold and 16,423.8 kg of silver. Eleven large-scale promising areas were identified for further detailed assessment.
The project also conducted a preliminary assessment at a scale of 1:25,000 in six copper ore areas, identifying and delineating two promising large-scale areas for detailed assessment. Two new copper mines have been discovered and are currently undergoing detailed assessment. The estimated resources at the current level (levels 333+334a) are 154,379.2 tons of metallic copper.
In addition, the project conducted a detailed assessment in 7 areas containing industrial minerals. The results identified resources and delineated large-scale industrial mineral areas with sufficient basis for transferring exploration and exploitation rights.
Another important outcome of the Project is the investigation and assessment of the reserves of paving stones in 17 areas, focusing on high-quality stones with beautiful colors and patterns containing industrial minerals.
In comparison with the assigned specific targets, representatives from the Vietnam Department of Geology and Minerals stated that the component projects have discovered and assessed resource potential, creating sufficient grounds for transferring and auctioning exploration and exploitation rights for 26 out of 45 mining areas, including 3 out of 8-10 metal mineral mining areas, 6 out of 10-15 industrial mineral mining areas, and 17 out of 20-25 paving stone mining areas. Simultaneously, they have discovered and transferred exploration rights for 2-3 promising uranium ore areas.
In the coming period, the Department of Geology and Minerals will continue to identify areas with mineral potential and areas where hidden, deep deposits may exist, in order to further assess mineral resources for the period 2025-2030 and beyond 2030.
Previously, the Vietnam Geological and Mineral Resources Department (Ministry of Agriculture and Environment) also completed the report on the overall mineral survey and geological mapping at a scale of 1/50,000 in the Northwest region (Northwest project). Of the 40 gold mines discovered, Bac Kan and Tuyen Quang each have 8 mines; Lai Chau 5; Thanh Hoa and Nghe An each have 4; Lang Son and Cao Bang each have 3; Ha Giang and Yen Bai each have 2; and Dien Bien has one mine. In addition to gold, accompanying minerals include silver, copper, and antimony.
Previously, Vietnam discovered 500 gold ore deposits, of which about 30 locations had been explored and assessed with reserves of approximately 300 tons. The gold mines are mainly located in the mountainous areas of the North and some provinces in Central Vietnam.
