Deputy Minister of Natural Resources and Environment (MoNRE) delivered a speech at the workshop

On March 13th, in Hanoi, the MoNRE, in collaboration with the National Assembly’s Committee for Science, Technology, and Environment and the Australian Embassy in Hanoi, organized the “International workshop on sharing experience on mining regulatory development” which holds significant importance in exchanging and sharing international experiences to develop policies and laws in the field of geology and minerals, thereby contributing to the refinement of the Draft Law to be submitted for consideration by the National Assembly in the coming time.

In opening speech at the workshop, Vice Chairman of the NA’s Committee for Science, Technology and Environment Nguyen Tuan Anh highlighted that geological and mineral resources are vital assets for the socio-economic development of nation. He emphasized that these resources also serve as long-term reserves requiring centralized management, efficient exploitation, and sustainable utilization. To achieve this objective, the establishment and enhancement of a legal framework regarding geology and minerals are crucial tasks that must be systematically carried out based on practical foundations and international references.

Deputy Minister of Natural Resources and Environment Tran Quy Kien, Vice Chairman of the National Assembly's Committee for Science, Technology, and Environment of Vietnam Nguyen Tuan Anh, and Minister Counselor of the Australian Embassy in Hanoi Cecilia Brennan co-chaired the workshop

Australia's Ambassador to Vietnam Andrew Goledzinowski shared that over the past 50 years of diplomatic relations, the Australian government has actively and effectively supported Vietnam in various areas, including the establishment of institutional frameworks and mining policies. Specifically, in 1996, Australia assisted Vietnam in drafting the Mining Law, which has been successfully implemented in Vietnam for the past 14 years. According to Mr. Andrew Goledzinowski, mining companies often have to address numerous risk factors, particularly those related to legal environments. Therefore, to attract investors, Vietnam needs a more competitive environment.

According to Deputy Director of the MONRE’s Vietnam Minerals Department Mai The Toan, Vietnam boasts around 50 types of minerals, with approximately 5,000 mines currently in operation. Remarkably, the mining sector contributes to nearly 5% of the country’s GDP. Key features of the Draft Law on Geology and Minerals, consisting of 12 chapters and 117 articles, include the categorization of minerals for management, streamlining administrative procedures, allocation of state funds for the exploration of strategic and vital minerals, improved oversight of sand and gravel extraction in riverbeds, lakebeds, and maritime zones, among other provisions. Issues raised by Mr. Mai The Toan for discussion at the workshop include: terminology related to minerals, mineral exploitation...; the scope of regulation of the Law; mineral processing, mineral exportation; accompanying mineral issues as they are quite complex; management of seabed minerals; riverbed sand mining as a new issue where Vietnam lacks experience; a desire to share more details on the relationship between mineral exploitation rights/resource taxes;...

At the workshop, delegates and experts exchanged views on various difficulties and challenges encountered in investment procedures and mining activities in Vietnam in recent times. Additionally, delegates shared international experiences regarding the drafting of laws and issues related to state management of minerals to ensure the quality of the Draft Law.

The “International workshop on sharing experience on mining regulatory development”

In the closing remarks of the conference, Deputy Minister Tran Quy Kien highly valued the contributions of the delegates on issues such as granting mining licenses, regulations on mineral resources and reserves, and fees for granting mineral exploitation rights. He emphasized that the delegates' contributions and shared experiences on the key issues of the Draft Law on Geology and Minerals are extremely important which served as valuable information for the MONRE to research, absorb, and contribute to the enhancement of the Draft Law's quality. These feasible outcomes met the requirements for managing and implementing the current geological and mineral activities of the country