The 'strange' proposal and the truth at Tien Dong.
Despite being a mountainous area without major rivers flowing through it, the Nghe An Provincial People's Council has received reports that five sand mines in Tien Dong commune are operating illegally! Reporters from Nghe An Newspaper, Radio, and Television have conducted on-site investigations to verify the matter...
Nhat Lan - Vo HaiAugust 17, 2025
Despite being a mountainous area without major rivers flowing through it, the Nghe An Provincial People's Council has received reports that five sand mines in Tien Dong commune are operating illegally! Reporters from Nghe An Newspaper, Radio, and Television have conducted on-site investigations to verify the matter...
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Over two days (July 9-10), the online hotline at the 31st session of the Nghe An Provincial People's Council received 47 voter opinions reflecting on 57 pressing social issues. Upon reviewing these voter opinions, we (the reporters) were particularly interested in the opinion of voter Hoang Dinh Thiem, residing in Tien Dong commune, who reported that five sand mines in his locality are operating illegally, seriously affecting the lives and production of the people.
We are interested, for two reasons.The first,For several days now, following the directives of the Nghe An Provincial People's Committee, functional forces in the area have been focusing intensely on inspecting, checking, and rectifying the activities of sand and gravel mining. If the voters' feedback is accurate, then this is indeed a very "hot" issue, and the management responsibility of the local government and functional forces in Tien Dong commune is "problematic".Monday,Through our fieldwork, we gained some practical insights into the two communes of Tien Ky and Dong Van in the former Tan Ky district, now Tien Dong commune. Most recently, we investigated the implementation of a clean water project, bringing water from the high mountains at the headwaters of several streams and springs to provide water for the people, mostly ethnic minorities. Therefore, we learned that there are no large rivers flowing through the mountainous Tien Dong area, only a few streams and springs like Son stream and Chieng stream. Thus, the claim that Tien Dong commune has five sand mines seems rather "unusual" and not entirely accurate.
Intrigued by this unusual situation, we contacted the Mineral Resources Department of the Nghe An Provincial Department of Agriculture and Environment to request an accurate determination of the number of sand and gravel mines in Tien Dong commune. After a few minutes of reviewing the records, the officials from the Mineral Resources Department informed us that there are no sand or gravel mines in Tien Dong commune that have been licensed for exploitation by the State.
By"Voter Hoang Dinh Thiem"We submitted feedback to the Provincial People's Council along with a personal phone number, so we used that to contact them. However, despite multiple attempts, no one answered. Only once did a woman with a Southern accent answer, informing us that she had dialed the wrong number and stating that she did not know anyone named Hoang Dinh Thiem!
Contacting an official who previously worked in Dong Van commune, Tan Ky district (formerly), he assessed that the reported information was inaccurate. He explained that Tien Dong commune only has a few streams and creeks, and after each rainy season, sand and gravel are deposited in some locations along these streams and creeks, but the quality is poor. He said: “In Tien Dong commune, it’s only possible for people to collect sand and gravel along the streams and creeks for household construction, not for illegal exploitation of five sand mines. Perhaps the person making the report is exaggerating the issue…”
A few days later, we were informed by Mr. Nguyen Cong Luc - Head of the Mineral Resources Department - Department of Agriculture and Environment that the Standing Committee of the Provincial People's Council had issued a document assigning the Department to verify the petition of voter Hoang Dinh Thiem, Tien Dong commune. Accordingly, in Official Letter No. 134/HĐND-TT dated July 21, 2025, the Standing Committee of the Provincial People's Council informed about the matter of "Mr. Hoang Dinh Thiem, phone number 0981.451.6..., from Tien Dong commune, reported that there are currently 5 sand mines operating illegally in the commune, seriously affecting the lives and production of the people.The Department of Agriculture and Environment was requested to investigate and address the voters' concerns. Nguyen Cong Luc, Head of the Mineral Resources Department, also stated that the Department had sent a document requesting the Tien Dong Commune People's Committee to investigate and resolve the voters' opinions and recommendations, and to strengthen state management in the mineral resources sector to prevent illegal mining. Simultaneously, officials were sent to Tien Dong Commune to verify and clarify the voters' concerns.
We have determined that there are no state-licensed sand and gravel mines in Tien Dong commune. However, there may still be illegal sand and gravel mining along streams and ravines, which requires increased management efforts. Therefore, the Department has assigned officials to coordinate with Tien Dong commune to verify and clarify the situation before reporting to the Standing Committee of the Provincial People's Council…”.
Mr. Nguyen Cong Luc - Head of the Mineral Resources Department - Department of Agriculture and Environment
In early August, we went to Tien Dong commune. Touring this mountainous area, using a drone to observe streams like Thiem, Son, Da, and Than, we found very few locations with sand and gravel deposits. Searching for areas with sand, including upstream and downstream of the Ke Chieng and Than bridges, we observed that the sand reserves were not large, and the quality was poor, mainly consisting of sand mixed with soil, pebbles, and debris. Nevertheless, these locations had trails leading to the deposits, and some tire tracks indicating entry and exit.
Upon arriving at Tien Dong commune, the officials there said that the Party Secretary of the commune, Le Thi Theu, is a representative of the Provincial People's Council, and therefore received the feedback information promptly."Voter Hoang Dinh Thiem";Therefore, on July 17, 2025, Official Document No. 65/UBND-KT was issued, directing forces in the commune to coordinate with village and hamlet officials to strengthen the management, exploitation, stockpiling, transportation, and trading of sand and gravel in the area. Upon receiving the document from the Department of Agriculture and Environment, the commune immediately formed an inspection team to verify the information. The inspection team of the Commune People's Committee, with the participation of the Commune Police, contacted the relevant authorities multiple times."Voter Hoang Dinh Thiem"via the phone number sent to the Provincial People's Council. However, the phone rang but no one answered. The Tien Dong commune police also checked the resident database, 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 one main stream originating from Tan Hop commune, flowing through the hamlets of Thung Mon, Tien Dong, Tan Dien, Vinh Dong, Lap Binh, Hien village, On village, Phay Thai Minh village to Binh Thanh Tho commune (formerly Anh Son district) with a length of approximately 20 km. Along this stream, there are some points with accumulated sand, and some local residents are exploiting it manually on a small scale, transporting it by ox carts and buffalo carts for personal use in construction projects; there is no evidence of organized illegal exploitation for illicit profit.
The People's Committee of Tien Dong commune subsequently submitted a report to the Department of Agriculture and Environment. At the same time, they directed extensive public awareness campaigns to ensure that people in the area understand and strictly comply with land and mineral resource laws. Furthermore, they implemented measures to strengthen mineral resource management in the area, promptly detecting and effectively preventing violations of land and mineral resource laws.
“The Tien Dong commune is quite far from licensed sand mining areas and lacks organized sand and gravel businesses. Therefore, when people need sand and gravel, they have to buy it from outside the area, incurring additional transportation costs, resulting in significantly higher prices compared to the general market. 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 several sand and gravel business locations to reduce costs for the people. Furthermore, to improve mineral resource management, the People's Committee of Tien Dong commune will erect signs prohibiting sand mining in areas with sand and gravel, and strengthen inspection activities in these areas…,” said Mr. Dinh Xuan Lam, Vice Chairman of the People's Committee of Tien Dong commune.
Regarding the Department of Agriculture and Environment, on August 1, 2025, they submitted Report No. 6214/SNNMT-KS."Regarding the handling of opinions and suggestions from voters reflected via the online telephone hotline 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 officials to verify the information."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."Data from the Department of Agriculture and Environment shows that there are no permits for sand and gravel mining issued by competent authorities in Tien Dong commune. Therefore, the Department of Agriculture and Environment affirms the voters' concerns."There have been reports that there are currently 5 sand mines operating illegally in the commune, seriously affecting the lives and production of the people."That has no basis.
At the same time, the Department of Agriculture and Environment reported on the verification work of the Tien Dong Commune People's Committee, which stated that there is a main stream in the commune with a length of about 20 km. When floodwaters flow through the stream, a small amount of sand is carried along and deposited in the streambed. There is also a phenomenon of people using manual means (shovels, ox-drawn carts) to transport sand in small quantities for household construction. To rectify this, the representative of the Department of Agriculture and Environment requested the Tien Dong Commune People's Committee to implement measures to protect unexploited mineral resources in general and sand and gravel in particular; to disseminate information, mobilize, and educate people to comply with the law on mineral resources; and to request the Tien Dong Commune Police to regularly inspect, monitor, and handle violations of the law in the exploitation, transportation, and consumption of minerals without legal origin…
Upon meeting with officials from the Nghe An Department of Agriculture and Environment to directly verify the issue raised in Tien Dong commune, Mr. Ho Ngoc Hiep, a specialist from the Department's Mineral Resources Division, stated that he was assigned the task on July 21st, but due to Typhoon No. 3, he was only able to visit Tien Dong commune on July 24th. However, upon arrival, the verification had to be temporarily suspended because Tien Dong commune experienced heavy rainfall, causing flooding in some areas of streams and rivers. On his second visit, Mr. Hiep's verification yielded results similar to those reported by the Tien Dong Commune People's Committee. Therefore, the Department of Agriculture and Environment submitted Report No. 6214/SNNMT-KS dated August 1st, 2025 to the Provincial People's Council.
The information provided is fundamentally inaccurate. We welcome feedback and suggestions from voters to further improve our work. However, voters need to make accurate and well-founded suggestions…”
Mr. Ho Ngoc Hiep - Specialist in the Mineral Resources Department, Nghe An Department of Agriculture and Environment
According to Dinh Xuan Lam, Vice Chairman of the People's Committee of Tien Dong Commune, the voice of the voters is very important. Thanks to the opinions of the voters, the functional agencies can quickly detect existing problems and violations to inspect and handle them, thereby fulfilling their assigned tasks and responsibilities well. However, the Vice Chairman of the People's Committee of Tien Dong Commune hopes that the suggestions and recommendations of the voters will be realistic and supported by clear documentation.
Mr. Dinh Xuan Lam stated: “For the government, when receiving feedback from voters and the people, whether it is well-founded or not, we will consider and investigate it to take timely action in accordance with the law. Tien Dong commune encourages residents to provide information to help detect existing problems and violations in the area early. However, feedback must be objective and accurate, avoiding the dissemination of false information…”
Participate in verifying feedback."Voter Hoang Dinh Thiem"We agree with the points raised by Mr. Ho Ngoc Hiep and Mr. Dinh Xuan Lam. Years of experience have proven that, by incorporating the opinions of voters, the Party committees and authorities at all levels of the province have promptly resolved many existing problems and obstacles at the local level; in fact, they have brought to light and strictly dealt with numerous cases of law violations. However, there are still some suggestions that are not entirely accurate, leading to a waste of time for the relevant agencies. For example, the feedback from..."Voter Hoang Dinh Thiem"There was inaccurate information, and the issue was "exaggerated," as the official from the former Tan Ky district commented. This shouldn't have happened, especially in a mountainous area with many difficulties like Tien Dong commune!
During the 31st session of the Provincial People's Council, upon receiving feedback from constituents in my constituency, I instructed the Commune People's Committee to verify and clarify the matter. At the subsequent Commune People's Council meeting, in my capacity as a Provincial People's Council representative and the Secretary of the Commune Party Committee, I reported the results of the Commune People's Committee's verification to the constituents. This included highlighting the situation where a small number of people were utilizing sand and gravel from streams and creeks for construction purposes; emphasizing the need to strengthen state management, inspection, and supervision to prevent people from arbitrarily exploiting sand and gravel without permission from competent state agencies. In addition, I also offered suggestions regarding the constituents' feedback. My suggestions aimed to help constituents understand their rights correctly. Spreading false information is a violation of the law and creates negative public opinion…”
Ms. Le Thi Theu - Provincial People's Council representative, Secretary of the Party Committee of Tien Dong commune
