“If the current situation continues, our country’s resources will soon be depleted, erosion will occur along river banks, natural water flows will be changed, adversely affecting buildings along river banks and harming the life and property of people in adjacent areas”

–Deputy Prime Minister Trương Hòa Bình (July 2017)

According to a Straits Times article, Vietnam has been exporting so much sand that it may run out sand by 2022. Vietnam’s sand trade has caused resulted in numerous flooding and landslides which we will illustrate in the points below:

 

Cr: Hurricane Gaston landslide damage Roll (2004).
Example of a landslide

Dong Thap Province

13 landslides since 2017

An Giang Province:

Sinking of a section of the Vam Nao River in Cho Moi District flooded more than dozen of houses

Dak Lak Province:

Farmland has also been flooded by the rivers due to constant dredging of the river bed. An estimate of 80ha (equivalent to almost 80 football field) of land has been eroded and submerged by the river.

Kien Giang Province:

There is an erosion of 25 metres a year and expert points out that the one-third of the provincial coastline has been lost to landslides.

Why?

The Deputy  Prime Minister  noted that construction  of reservoirs in the upstream of the Mekong River and the overexploitation of sand in the river-bed could have led to these problems. Illegal sand miners has also exacerbated the issue and the local authorities are finding some challenges in nabbing the violators.