By Duc Hung  April 28, 2018 | 03:14 pm GMT+7 A piece of cloth burns with diesel-polluted well water in Ha Tinh. Photo by VnExpress/Duc Hung A inch-long crack was found on an oil tank containing 25,300 liters of oil. A leak from a gypsum company’s oil tank in Ha Tinh Province was confirmed as the source of diesel found in several water wells earlier this month, a source from the company said on Friday. Ha Tinh Minerals and Trading JSC said a crack of 2.5 centimeters (one inch) long was found in an oil tank containing 25,300 liters of oil, which belonged to its member gypsum company. The crack was the reason the oil had leaked into the well water of several local families, it said, calling the incident "unintended." The company has offered to help fix the problem and pay for the cost. Earlier this month, many families in Ha Tinh reported the smell of petroleum coming from their wells’ water. A woman said when she tried to light the water, the … [Read more...] about Oil leak from mineral firm named source of flammable groundwater in central Vietnam
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Captive workers rescued from illegal gold mine in central Vietnam
Border guards have rescued 11 people who were being forced to work at a gold mine in central Vietnam, local authorities said on Monday. Le Van Phuong, chief border guard of Quang Tri Province, said his unit had found the workers at an illegal gold mine in Phuoc Son Town, Quang Nam Province, more than four hours to the south. The 11 captives, aged 18 to 24, have all been returned home to Quang Tri. Their families said they had been coerced into working at the mine with the promise of an "easy" job that paid VND5 million ($223) a month. However, they were beaten, forced to work under harsh conditions and held captive by their employers. In order to evade detection by local authorities, their captors forced the workers to work from 1-5 a.m., and to hide in deep tunnels. Five workers attempted to escape, but were unable to contact their families. “One of them managed to call his family while he was in the toilet,” said Phuong. Then the situation was reported to local … [Read more...] about Captive workers rescued from illegal gold mine in central Vietnam
Storm-hit village in central Vietnam in dire need of education access for ethnic children
It's been six months since one of the worst storms in years wreaked havoc in central Vietnam, and many poor households in the mountains of Nam Tra My District in Quang Nam Province are struggling to get back to normality. Typhoon Damrey killed 36 people and injured 34, while causing damage worth trillions of dong. On the afternoon of November 6 last year, the slopes of Mount Ong Tuan, which is home to the Ca Dong ethnic minority group, were turned into a burial ground, leaving hundreds of families homeless and almost wiping out the underprivileged area. In the wake of the storm, residents were relocated to a new village called Khe Chu, but still face a serious shortage of infrastructure, houses, fresh water and schools. While the villagers are trying to rebuild their lives, their children are being sent to two temporary classrooms, housed under steel frames and canvas. Ngo, one of the two teachers who works at the "school" in Khe Chu, said the only thing she wants right now is a … [Read more...] about Storm-hit village in central Vietnam in dire need of education access for ethnic children
A trekking adventure into the heart of central Vietnam
A little under 50 kilometers to the south of Vietnam's former capital Hue, Bach Ma National Park prides itself on offering bold expeditions into the forest. The park is known for its biodiversity, with more than 1,400 species of fauna and flora spread out across 37,000 hectares and guarded by a mountain peak standing 1,430 meters above sea level. It's collection of lakes and waterfalls along the trail attract avid trekkers looking for a one-day adventure. Although a staple of Hue tourism, Bach Ma is visited more by international travelers than locals. Their adventurous nature, unsurprisingly, is cited as the rationale. The adventure starts gently with a drive up the mountain to a 2-floor roundhouse known as Vong Hai Dai that acts as viewpoint and rest-stop. The trail then winds past five pristine lakes and waterfalls. Driving three kilometers down, you reach the starting point of the adventure to the first lake. The seven-kilometer mission is a steep descent down concrete … [Read more...] about A trekking adventure into the heart of central Vietnam
Size doesn’t matter when it comes to eating snails in central Vietnam
These delicate morsels pack a tasty and beautiful punch. Snails might not be the most popular dish among tourists in Vietnam, but they're certainly different. Photo by Ngoisao.net Snails might be considered a bizarre snack in some countries, but in central Vietnam, these tiny, colorful seashells are parts of the local cuisine. These little snails, or oc ruoc in Vietnamese, are farmed at the end of spring and in early summer. They wash up on the beach naturally, but to catch large quantities, fishermen need to go further out to sea and scrape them from the seabed using nets. Oc ruoc are popular in coastal provinces such as Quang Nam, Binh Dinh and Phu Yen, from where they are delivered to markets in Ho Chi Minh City. The snails are then boiled with lemongrass, chili and salt. The colorful shells retain their beauty after being boiled, with all the intricate texture. A can of snails costs 15,000VND ($0.6). Photo by Ngoisao.net Getting the snails out of their … [Read more...] about Size doesn’t matter when it comes to eating snails in central Vietnam