The hundred-year-old driftwood roots were “enchanted” by Mr. Nguyen Van Nghiep (43 years old, living in Cho Moi district, An Giang), sculpted into a unique collection in the West. In 2006, local people were raking fish when they picked up a beautiful driftwood log, Mr. Nghia said. Or believe it, he immediately went to the place to buy it to save, and since then passionately, diligently collecting this wood until now. According to the conjecture of many people, the driftwood that Mr. Nghia owns has been lying in the riverbed for hundreds of years. Driftwood stumps have been lying in the riverbed for hundreds of years After being salvaged, the driftwood stumps are created by craftsmen into wonderful works After 15 years of collecting, Mr. Nghia owns more than 3,000 m3 of driftwood. Among them, he chose the most beautiful and satisfactory wooden stumps and then hired workers from Hue and Nam Dinh to sculpt into nearly 40 works of art of “terrible” size. These works include: two sets of 12 animals, Buddha statue, rockery, 24.5m long painting, house full of driftwood, 3D painting table, set of tables and chairs… The sculptures are very lifelike. moving, soulful like being told stories of time. These works are being displayed at a tourist area in Cho Moi district. According to Mr. Nhi, it takes a lot of time and effort to carve works from driftwood because the sedimentary wood on the river bottom for hundreds of years is as hard as iron and stone. When processing, the saw blade is easy to blunt and difficult to shape. To complete nearly 40 works, the craftsmen took more than 5 years. “Driftwood is mostly big trees, several hundred years old. Due to many different impacts, the tree was buried in the riverbed for hundreds of years, causing the wood to disintegrate, leaving only the strong and hard core. Therefore, large monolithic driftwood is very rare and it is almost impossible to identify what kind of tree it is,” said Mr. Mr. Nghia added, depending on the shape of each piece of driftwood, the artisans will sculpt based on the natural shape of the tree. In particular, the beauty of driftwood is often hidden, so the creator must have a keen observation eye, rich associations to discover it. Buddha statue made from driftwood Unique works created from hundred-year-old driftwood Buddha statue set from driftwood 24.5 m long painting set from driftwood The lion’s head is delicately carved from driftwood In addition, he also collected 500 motorbikes with “four quarters” number plates bearing the 66 and 67 plates of the two provinces of An Giang and Dong Thap. This is considered one of the largest collection of beautiful marine cars in Vietnam today. Collection of cars with super beautiful license plates of Mr. Vac

Reputation of the hero From the pier in Tam Thon Hiep commune, Can Gio district, we followed a canoe to the headquarters of Division 1 – a forest protection unit belonging to the Can Gio Mangrove Management Board (MB). In the midst of the immense water waves, talent Nguyen Hoang Phi, an employee of Can Gio Mangrove Management Board, skillfully allowed a canoe to turn the waves of Long Tau River towards the Dua River, soaring. The wind winds all four sides, taking a full breath, it feels like all the freshness, freshness of the sea, the green forest is going deep into the chest. Belonging to the next generation, he has never held a gun to fight in fierce war days, but when it comes to Rung Sac, Phi can never stop talking. Just right on the Long Tau river, he proudly: “This is a” graveyard “buried hundreds of enemy warships, including many military transport ships with a tonnage of tens of thousands of tons. Come is the river that contributes to the honor of the heroic Rung Sac “. The Standing Deputy Secretary of Ho Chi Minh City Party Committee Tran Luu Quang planted a souvenir tree at Rung Sac Square on April 27, on the occasion of the People’s Committee of the city announcing the Prime Minister’s decision to recognize Can Gio district meeting the new rural standard. 2020 Photo: HOANG Trieu In order to decipher this strategic position, in order to block the enemy’s military supply path, protect our supply forces, on April 15, 1966, the Regional Command decided to establish the Special Forest Military Zone. Sac (later renamed to Group 10 Special Forces of Rung Sac). Since then, Rung Sac is within the range of enemy destruction. Can Gio Mangrove Management Board is managing and protecting 34,713.64 ha of forest and forestry land, of which forest area accounts for 32,446.44 ha; allotted forest protection to 133 households and 11 units. Anh Phi said that in the early years of the resistance war against the US, the forest was dense with trees. But from 1964 onwards, more than 4 million liters of chemicals, 2 million tons of bombs and ammunition of the enemy fell down to devastate, making Rung Sac almost bare. The special mission combatants Rung Sac fell into poverty in the middle of the wild. However, thanks to the “natural la geotung” map with a series of canals, forest trees form favorable walls for guerrilla tactics, shielding our troops from the eyes of the enemy, along with our products. Heaven bestowed and the warfare inherent in the people, Rung Sac base was still not wavering. Residents of the forest After half an hour of floating, the canoe took us to Division 1 headquarters. It was a grade 4 house built on a triangular islet in Tam Thôn Hiệp commune overlooking the Dua River, surrounded by marshland. drown. This is the workplace and living place of 4 officers, employees, managers of 14 households and 28 employees of the subdivision. Mr. Tran Van Ho, Head of Division 1, picked us up and took us around the headquarters. What caught our eyes was the simple leaf kitchen, full of black pots and pans. Mr. Ho pointed to a wood stove hidden in the corner, and said that in the first wave, this wind was very rare. To save money, people only use firewood for cooking. In Can Gio forest, green vegetables are also precious because the soil here is almost completely acidic. If you want to grow vegetables, you need to invest in soil, manure and fresh water from the shore. However, the most precious is still fresh water. Only the rainwater tanks located around the Division 1 headquarters, Mr. Ho explained: “The water here is 120,000 VND / block, but sometimes there are boats changing. Therefore, the subdivision is equipped with these tanks to catch the water. rain water used. Many households around, when the water runs out, often stop by and ask, whoever wants to scoop as much as possible “. Telephone waves in Rung Sac are “luxury”. Where the waves can be caught, the forest guard leaves the phone “catchy” like this. Photo: TUYET TRINH Seeing that on a number of pillars in the kitchen where there are many horizontal plastic bottles, we asked curiously, Mr. Ho replied: “This is the phone holder to … catch the signal”. It turns out, not only lack of necessities, but also the telephone signal here is a “luxury”. Where you can catch the phone signal, you tie up bottles like this to mark it. Lack of and many things, Mr. Ho has been sticking to the forest for more than 20 years. “So attached, now I no longer think about going ashore looking for another job. Getting acquainted with the muddy smell, the taste of salty water here and I can not leave,” – he said, his eyes dazed. up steadiness, steadfastness. Mr. Ho took us to visit the people of the second generation who are continuing their parents to protect and preserve Sac Forest. The first place we visited was the family of Mr. Nguyen Hoang Phien – brother of Phi, the leader of Division 1 Self-Management Group. Session said that his father, Mr. Nguyen Van No, was one of the 10 first forest keepers in Rung Sac. In 2012, Phien succeeded his father, “partly due to a difficult family and unable to go to school; a part has attached blood and flesh to each tree, the wave of when my brothers were in a hurry to practice speaking” . The session emphasized that the most important job of contracted households here is forest patrol. Mr. Phien’s family is managing 109 hectares, on average, each month, he patrols 20-30 times regardless of day and night, including traveling alone and with self-management team. Patrols must be done regularly to promptly detect if forest loggers or wildlife have appeared. Leaving Mr. Phien’s house, we went to the forest post of Mr. Tran Minh Tung’s family. Canoes run in the middle of the immense Sac Forest, Mr. Ho shows us how to distinguish fish, mangrove, tiger, parrot … covered like “roofs”. In more than 32,447 hectares of forest today, there are over 60 species of plants, each having its own role in the “war” with the sea. He said: “In it, mangroves play the role of reinforcing the battlefield, because with the intricate roots, the tall and wide foliage, it can retain what is most necessary that water has brought to the earth”. Launching our eyes around, we were very pleased with the blue landscape. It is hard to imagine this is a land that once suffered from enemy bombs and chemical toxins decades ago. The green color of the forest has covered all traces of the war, making it difficult for visitors to imagine this is a land once destroyed by bombs. Talking about the revival of this dead land, it must be mentioned the efforts of tens of thousands of people from all over the districts of Saigon – Ho Chi Minh City, the core of the youth volunteer force has poured in here to plant trees and rejuvenate. forest creation. Among those people was Mrs. Dinh Thi Hong, the mother of Mr. Tran Minh Tung. Like the Phi – Phien brothers, Tung also had a childhood associated with Rung Sac – Can Gio. When he was a child, he went with his mother to plant forests. Growing up, thanks to planting forests, he met his wife today. Later, he and his wife stayed in Can Gio, replacing their mother to keep the forest. In the afternoon, the canoe took us back to the pier. The sudden beating in the deep water made us startled because we remembered the stories about the water in the past where many crocodiles were hiding and stalking this person. In the forest there are many dangers, poor living conditions. However, the residents that we have met or known through the story have never intended to leave the forest to live on shore. Many people stick to their parents’ career, others – like Tung and his wife – are unable to leave a peaceful life thanks to being surrounded by mother nature here. “We stick wherever we go, we can do everything together. That is happy enough” – Mr. Tung expressed. In the distance, looking at the identical mangrove forests that have opened up the direction of ecotourism development for Can Gio, we again silently thank the residents of Rung Sac who have been sticking to this day. The most fear is deforestation At night, driving a motorboat to patrol and guard the forest, there are all kinds of dangers waiting for unarmed people like Nguyen Hoang Phien if they accidentally face a logger or a wild beast. We asked Phien if he was afraid, he laughed: “The most fearful thing is the loss of the forest”. “In the past, following my father to the forest, I have many times encountered loggers and” lash out “on the river. Later, due to good propaganda and awareness raising for the people, there is no longer a phenomenon. cutting trees, deforestation “- Mr. Phien said.

During the war against the French and the US, the Can Gio district formed an important base, strategically located because it was located close to the sea, near Saigon, with a dangerous terrain with immense jungle. , the rivers are crammed. In 1965, the US massively sent troops and means of war into South Vietnam. Long Tau River becomes the lifeline for military transport from the East Sea to the inner city of Saigon. In this situation, assessing the area of ​​Sac forest as an important strategic place, on April 15, 1966, the Regional Command of the Region decided to establish the special military zone of Sac forest (codename T10, later changed. The name of Doan 10 Special Forces of Sac Forest) with the main task of the strategic waterway on the Long Tau river, destroying the enemy’s treasures and yards and protecting the pedal for our supply forces. in the harsh conditions of the war zone on the water, in the “backyard” position of the enemy, the special forces of the Sac forest were built with the motto of clinging to the people, clinging to the ground, clinging to the terrain to build a heart-warming position. people; At the same time, perform the mission by all means to fight the enemy on the rivers to destroy the enemy’s supply for Saigon. Can Gio has many beautiful scenes for a long time like a fairy falling in a long sleep. One of the most famous battles that took place when the 10th Corps was first formed was the Battle of Victory ship in August 1966. The US brought Victory ship to carry about 100 tanks, armored vehicles, 2 helicopters, 20 tons of food, food … to supply to an American division, preparing for the first dry season campaign 1966 – 1967 In the river, enemy ships patrol continuously, in the sky, airplanes, and on the dense commandos. To fight, the special special forces soldiers of Sac forest have to soak in the water, bury themselves camouflage in the mud. On the morning of August 23, 1966, when the Victory ship passed, two mines of the soldier of the 10th Division blew up the ship with a tonnage of more than 10,000 tons and sunk into the riverbed with weapons. and full of creativity, during the war against the US, Group 10 forest Sac eliminated 6,200 enemy enemies, sank and burned 356 combat ships, sank 13 transport ships from 8,000 to 13,000 tons, shot down 145 Other transport ships shot down 29 helicopters, burned 110,000 tons of bombs, 250 million liters of oil and gas of the enemy … US General W. Westmoreland, Commander in Chief of the US Expeditionary Force in South Vietnam must admit, American soldiers had encountered “a strange fight in a strange war”. Can Gio was once a revolutionary base, with many glorious feats. Future seaside city After the liberation, the Can Gio area is where thousands of young volunteers have devoted their youth to building foundations for development. However, in the following years, Can Gio was still unable to make a breakthrough due to the limitations of topography, infrastructure and manpower. A clear, specific and feasible development strategy has not been outlined. Not until recently, when the Ho Chi Minh City government issued 4 decisions approving the detailed planning tasks of 1 project at the scale of 1/500 with subdivisions A, B, C, D, E with a total area of ​​more than 2,870 ha and total investment up to 10 billion USD; the project’s population scale is 228,000 people, with 8,887 million tourists / year; The project’s products are mainly urban product lines (apartments, shops, villas …) and some resort products (condotels), in order to turn Can Gio into a coastal city with a harmonious development. Modern planning combined with a friendly natural environment. As soon as the idea of ​​the city leaders was put in place, many urban planners proposed solutions for development. In which, there are big ideas such as forming “Vung Tau – Can Gio – Go Cong sea urban chain” in Can Gio bay, creating “front” of the sea to welcome opportunities to develop high value-added marine economy. and international maritime transactions, as a springboard for Ho Chi Minh City to become a gateway city more strongly connecting with the region and the world. Right now, there are many optimistic views about the future of Can Gio, when comparing this area with the world famous coastal cities such as Shenzhen (China), Miami (USA), Rotterdam ( Netherlands), Marseille (France), Dubai (UAE), Singapore and Yokohama (Japan) … In the future, when it becomes a marine tourism city, Can Gio is expected to be an attractive destination for tourists from 5 continents. Proposals for a “giant” sea reclamation project have also been made, aimed at protecting the Can Gio Biosphere Reserve. Asserting that rotating the axis to the sea and considering the sea as the “front” of the country is absolutely correct, urbanist Dr. Nguyen Minh Hoa said that the proposal to bring Can Gio straight to “Can Gio city” without going up. District, becoming a modern city with tourism – service – seaport function in a chain of urban centers of international stature is necessary. However, it should be noted, with nearly 80% of the area of ​​Can Gio being forest, so it is considered the “lung” of the city, contributing to climate regulation, preventing hot wind, making the atmosphere cool. . The total area of ​​Can Gio mangrove biosphere reserve is 75,740ha, of which the core zone is 4,721ha, the buffer zone is 41,139ha and the transitional zone is 29,880ha. In 2000, UNESCO recognized Can Gio as “World Biosphere Reserve” and became the property not only of Vietnam but also of the world. Because it is a particularly “sensitive” area, UNESCO and international experts recommend special caution when developing this area. Can Gio is a valuable biosphere reserve as a shield for the environment of Ho Chi Minh City and the Southeast. Moreover, Can Gio district has about 70,000 people. According to calculations, after the projects come into effect, this land will have a static and dynamic population increasing to nearly 10 million people (of which about 9 million guests). travel). With so many people and their activities in production, activities, entertainment, festivals … will definitely cause an impact on the environment and will damage mangroves as well as more or less. affected plants and animals. Therefore, the development of the marine economy and the protection of the “armor layer” for Ho Chi Minh City is a difficult problem between hot growth and “favorable”.

Facing the closure of illegal sand mining sites, hundreds of truck drivers flocked to Hop Nghia sand mine in Nghia Dung commune, Quang Ngai city in long queues waiting to buy sand on the Tra Khuc river. The price of sand increased dramatically According to truck drivers, the price of sand surged in a short time, making both the driver and the house-builder face many difficulties. “Seeing that many trucks flocked here are too crowded, so we increased the selling price to 170,000 VND / m3 so that they could withdraw less but not shovel the sand in time. Currently, we have reduced the selling price for each sand block to 140,000 VND” explains Hop Nghia sand mine management staff Dozens of trucks line up to buy sand on Tra Khuc River in Village 6, Nghia Dung Commune, Quang Ngai City. Photo: Minh Hoang. In this regard, Mr. Nguyen Duc Trung, Deputy Director in charge of the Department of Natural Resources and Environment of Quang Ngai, said that up to now, there are no sanctions in controlling enterprises that win the auction of sand mines to sell materials to the market. . “In principle, a business that sells sand at high prices is obliged to pay tax on the difference between buying and selling. If they neglect to declare or issue an invoice, they will violate the tax law and be fined and collect money. tax like any other business, “Trung stressed. Competition is not fair According to businesses, it takes from 6 months to a year to complete sand mine auction procedures, including: Documenting exploration, reserve assessment, hiring a consultant to design documents, assess the environmental impact. school, gathering community opinions, handing over landmarks … Mining auctions have to pay billions of VND in natural resources tax, large costs to hire consultants to prepare design documents, assess environmental impacts, collect community opinions … “We have to adjust the selling price of sand to compensate for the losses of mine auction costs. Meanwhile, the sand exploiters sold to the market about 50,000 VND / m3 (the selling price is 3 times lower than that). compared to mining auctions) causing unfair competition “, said representative of Phu Gia Thinh Construction One Member Co., Ltd. Sand is scarce, some businesses voluntarily raise the selling price of construction sand, causing many difficulties for people. Photo: Minh Hoang. Mr. Dang Van Minh, Chairman of Quang Ngai Provincial People’s Committee, acknowledged that there are many sand mines granted to public investment projects, providing for public investment projects, one, but ten. “Enterprise auctioned sand mines at high prices but could not sell because the illegal sand mining units dumped the price. This led to the consequences of unfair competition from enterprises, creating injustice in the management of natural resources. So I ask all branches and localities to inspect and handle this situation completely, ”Mr. Minh said. Meanwhile, Mr. Tran Phuoc Hien, Vice Chairman of Quang Ngai Provincial People’s Committee, said that the auction plan for the right to exploit sand and gravel in the river bed submitted by the Department of Natural Resources and Environment was not consistent with the mineral planning. building materials, planning and regulation of rivers, planning of inland waterways … Mr. Hien noted that the eligible for licensing sand and gravel mines must be in line with the relevant sector plans and comply with the provisions of law. The localities must check the feasibility and effectiveness of the sand and gravel mines put into the auction, to avoid the situation of not being able to organize the exploitation after the units win the auction. Currently, the three sand mines on the Tra Khuc River (Quang Ngai) have valid exploitation permits. In which, in 2018, Hop Nghia Investment and Development Joint Stock Company auctioned a sand mine in village 6, Nghia Dung commune, Quang Ngai city with an area of ​​11 hectares with about 18.2 billion VND. Lung Lo Infrastructure Investment Joint Stock Company 251 auctioned a 3-hectare sand mine in Phuoc Loc village, Tinh Son commune, Son Tinh district, for 5.7 billion dong. Phu Gia Thinh Construction One Member Company Limited auctioned a 3.5-hectare sand mine in Dien Nien village, Tinh Son commune, Son Tinh district for 2.7 billion dong.

Mr. Lai Hong Thanh, Deputy Director General of the General Department of Geology and Minerals (Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment) Representative of state management agency on minerals, Mr. Lai Hong Thanh, Deputy Director of General Department of Geology and Minerals (MONRE) shared with SGGP Newspaper reporter about the management of exploration and mineral exploitation across the country today. * Reporter: Sir, the scarcity of leveling materials for the North-South expressway project is no longer a new problem. Government leaders, many ministries, branches and localities also joined in, but the situation has not improved much. What do you think? – Mr. LAI HONG THANH: As a key national project, which has been prepared and implemented since 2017, the North-South expressway project has received special attention from the National Assembly, the Government and relevant agencies. favorable conditions for deployment. However, in some sections of the route, the locality is facing difficulties with materials for construction. It is estimated that the total demand for the whole route will need about 60.7 million m³ of embankment land; 21.5 million m³ of rocks of all kinds and 10.8 million m³ of sand. In the process of project formulation, technical design, design consultant surveyed and proposed to use material mines. Some mines in many localities are being implemented well, but there are also a number of mines that have not met the demand for many reasons: the transportation distance is too far, leading to high cost, not timely supply; Some mines have expired, are waiting for renewal … Besides, there are mines in the local planning that are implementing mining licensing procedures, but according to the current law, the process is , the procedure takes quite a long time. Before the North-South expressway project was implemented, the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment issued Circular No. 01/2016 / TT-BTNMT technical regulations on the exploration of river-bed sand and gravel and rock for leveling materials. fill. This Circular simplifies the technical method and volume of exploration works, thereby shortening the time for licensing exploration and exploitation. Recently, the ministry has also issued Document No. 1488 / BTNMT-ĐCKS dated March 29, 2016 on licensing exploration and exploitation of minerals as common building materials for expressway projects. We have also instructed the provincial People’s Committee to apply the Mineral Law in the direction: construction works can take the excavated soil to convert to the embankment within the service scope of that work without having to apply for a permit. … * Some localities say that even after applying regulations to facilitate businesses, it is still too long to be licensed for exploration and mining? – Law on Minerals 2010 has been implemented for more than 10 years, there are points to be adjusted and the above mentioned case (exploration and exploitation of minerals as common building materials) is one of the points that need to be amended. . In the immediate future, I propose to the competent authority, here the National Assembly, to consider and issue a separate resolution following the simplified procedures on the order of procedures for exploration and exploitation of mines for the project. this. However, the implementation progress depends greatly on the locality, because the Provincial People’s Committee is the authority to approve and grant exploration and exploitation permits. * How about the possibility of using thermal power plant ash or using construction waste to build roads, sir? – In my opinion, it is necessary to evaluate the environmental impact of using ash and slag in thermal power plants. But even if it can be used, the amount of this offset is also negligible compared to the huge demand of the expressway project. * The 2010 Law on Minerals has brought into play a positive effect over the years, but the law has also revealed a number of shortcomings that need improvement. Can you elaborate on these shortcomings and is the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment expected to submit to the Government and the National Assembly for amendments to the law? – Currently, we are evaluating and summarizing the implementation of the Mineral Law 2010 and have identified a number of shortcomings. That is, do not specify the joint venture or association in mineral exploitation activities; there is no uniform regulation with the law on investment to control when there is a change in the capital of the enterprise owner that has been granted a license for mineral exploration and exploitation; responsibilities of organizations and individuals exploiting minerals after being licensed for exploitation in monitoring and supervising the actual exploited output; responsibility for coordinating mineral management in the areas bordering areas between provinces and cities (especially for sand minerals, river-bed gravel) … After a comprehensive assessment, we will take the next steps to submit to the authorities to include the amendment and supplement of the Mineral Law into the law building program, possibly 2022 or 2023. * Thank you Sir!