Sand Mining and Social Disruption in the Vietnamese Mekong Delta

www.hapri.org

Dung Duc Tran — Senior Research Associate

A study co-authored by Dung Duc Tran (HAPRI Senior Research Associate) with Samuel Li Cheng Xin, Edward Park, Kai Wan Yuen and Jingyu Wang looks at the less explored impacts of sand mining on local communities in the Vietnamese Mekong Delta. Over 80 percent of the locals interviewed acknowledged disruptions to their daily lives and a substantial loss of their sense of place.

Context

Heavy global demand for sand in various sectors of the economy subjects the Vietnamese Mekong Delta to correspondingly high amounts of sand mining. The process started in the early 1990s and has contributed significantly to the Vietnamese economy. The impacts of intensive sand mining and mining-related industries damage the integrity of the river and of local communities.

Much of the existing literature focuses on the river, exposing the harmful effects of sand mining on the physical environment. The effects on local communities have been less explored, and this study sets out to fill that gap.

Harms the study links to sand mining

Methods

The authors approach the question through the lenses of place and landscape, following the human geography tradition. They used qualitative methods: thirty-five interviews with locals, video recordings, and sound measurements, to highlight the impacts of sand mining and mining-related industries.

Key findings

• The study found that sand mining and its associated activities are responsible for locals' perceptions of notable air, land and noise pollution.

• The study also links sand mining and its associated activities to substantial harm to the urban environment.

• Over 80 percent of interviewed locals acknowledged disruptions to their daily lives and a substantial loss of their sense of place.

How the study was done

Policy implications

The study sheds light on narratives frequently overlooked by policymakers, and the authors emphasize the urgency of addressing these issues for a sustainable future.

Keywords:

• Sand Mining

• Vietnamese Mekong Delta

• Sense of Place

• Noise Pollution

• Human Geography

• Environment

Link:

https://doi.org/10.1080/24694452.2024.2366899

Citation:

Xin, S. L. C., Park, E., Tran, D. D., Yuen, K. W., & Wang, J. (2024). Landscape and Social Disruption from Sand Mining and Mining-Related Activities: A Case from the Vietnamese Mekong Delta. Annals of the American Association of Geographers, 114(9), 1968-1984.