An Analysis of River Sand Mining Management in Cau River of Vietnam

Illegal sand mining in Cau River of Vietnam is common and indiscriminate due to the huge demand of river sand for industrial zone ground filling and the construction industry in the region. The number of illegal sand mining dredges as well as extracted sand volume has soared year after year and caused serious consequences. Although the local authorities have made efforts in controlling illegal sand mining in Cau River, this activity generally has continued to proliferate. The results of the study show that inadequate legal framework, unclear responsibilities among stakeholders, limited resources for management, and weak coordination among local authorities are the main constraints of illegal sand mining management. Improving the legal framework for sand mining, establishing surveillance teams at the commune level, enhancing coordination among local authorities, wider dissemination on the external effect of sand mining were drawn as feasible measures to improve sand mining management in Cau River.