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| Stone exploitation at the Lung Cai Day stone mine in Lang Son province__Photo: Anh Tuan/VNA |
Deputy Prime Minister Tran Hong Ha recently chaired a hybrid meeting with leaders of ministries, agencies, 13 provinces and cities, corporations, and business associations to discuss both the draft resolution and a draft law amending several provisions of the 2024 Law on Geology and Minerals.
Enhancing efficiency in resource allocation
Reporting on the draft resolution, Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Environment Tran Quy Kien said the proposed measures are designed to grant greater flexibility to localities, simplify administrative procedures, and ensure more effective allocation of raw materials for key national projects. At the same time, they would put into practice special mechanisms already adopted under the National Assembly’s Resolution 106/2023/QH15 and follow directives on managing strategic minerals in support of socio-economic development and national defense and security.
For the exploitation of Group-III and -IV minerals (minerals used as construction materials), the draft proposes cutting administrative steps by removing investment policy approval and environmental impact assessment requirements, while still maintaining exploration, reserve approval, and licensing procedures. Mines would still be required to ensure safe operations and lawful use of explosives, while permits could be extended or adjusted to increase output for priority projects. In emergency situations such as natural disasters, epidemics, or defense and security needs, procedures for exploring and exploiting Group-III and -IV minerals would be further streamlined.
The draft also identifies areas exempt from mining rights auctions, primarily covering minerals for national priority projects, public-private partnership projects, projects funded with public investment capital, cement plants, tourism and resort complexes, and established deep-processing factories. Licenses granted before July 1, 2005, would be adjusted to allow continued operations serving registered projects.
It further allows deeper exploration of deposits and permits adjustments to licenses for Group-III and -IV minerals to meet the needs of key projects, defense and security facilities, and major projects of the transport sector.
A number of highly technical and specialized tasks previously under the Prime Minister’s authority would be delegated to the Minister of Agriculture and Environment, while provincial-level People’s Committee chairpersons would assume certain responsibilities formerly held at the central level, enhancing responsiveness and flexibility in resource management.
Ensuring prudent management of reserves and rational exploitation
Deputy Prime Minister Tran Hong Ha emphasized that difficulties arising in the rollout of the 2024 Law on Geology and Minerals should be regarded as exceptional cases. The draft resolution, he said, introduces temporary special measures to address urgent political tasks, which will later need to be institutionalized through formal amendments to the law.
He stressed that the special mechanisms should apply only in exceptional circumstances, including centrally approved national projects and local investments in infrastructure, social housing, hospitals, and industrial parks. The resolution must clearly define such cases to avoid legal ambiguity and must not be used to legitimize violations.
He also called for clear rules to resolve overlaps between sectoral plans such as energy, processing, and infrastructure, emphasizing the need to prioritize certain fields while ensuring prudent management of reserves and rational exploitation. Licensed mineral mines should remain stable without overlapping tenders or duplicate licenses, especially where exploitation boundaries are already defined.
The draft resolution must also set out clear principles while retaining rigorous scientific, technical, and environmental requirements, particularly regarding reserve exploration, environmental assessment, and remediation plans, to prevent pollution and landslides.
On mechanisms for exploiting construction materials for public investment projects (Group-III and -IV minerals), the Deputy Prime Minister stressed that these are national resources under state management. He proposed exploring a licensing model that would not impose fees for mining rights but only account for extraction and transport costs. This, he said, would help convert resources into investment capital for public works and national infrastructure, reduce public investment burdens, and increase state contributions to development.
With regard to mining rights, valuation, and exploitation fees, the Deputy Prime Minister instructed that detailed regulations be issued to avoid protracted disputes. Strategic minerals, he added, must also be governed by clear management principles in the amended law, with specific provisions to be set by the Government and the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment.- (VLLF)
