Posted on October 19, 2026
On the evening of October 3rd, we arrived at the Lam River bank area in Hung Lam 2 hamlet, Hung Nguyen Nam commune, a hotspot for illegal sand mining that locals jokingly call a “sand-pumping festival”.
On the Lam River, two large sand dredging vessels are operating brazenly. Suction hoses are lowered into the riverbed, with each vessel having 2 to 6 hoses depending on its size. Sand mixed with water is sucked up into the holds, flowing rapidly. After a while in one position, the two vessels slowly move upstream while continuing to dredge.
After traveling a few hundred meters, seemingly sensing they were being followed, the two ships turned around and continued dredging downstream. More than an hour later, with their holds full, the ships left the area and headed downstream. A local resident said this activity usually takes place late at night. However, recently, on weekends or rainy days, the ships may start dredging from around 5 or 6 PM. After selling the sand, the ships return to dredge again, sometimes a second or third time, until dawn.
At around 7:40 PM, we returned to the riverbank. Two other boats were dredging sand. In the darkness, the roar of the engines from the river echoed loudly towards the shore, like a construction site.
As the boats approached the shore, Mr. VP and two local residents shone powerful flashlights down the river to scare them away. This is a common tactic used by locals to deter sand dredging vessels, fearing that close-to-shore extraction increases the risk of landslides. A person on one of the boats also shone a powerful flashlight towards the shore. Afterward, the two boats returned to the middle of the river but continued dredging sand.
“It’s still early today, and there are a lot of people around, so they’re scared. But around 2 or 3 in the morning, especially when it’s raining, they’re very stubborn. Sometimes we have to throw stones at the cabin, and only after hearing the clanging sound will the boat leave,” Mr. P. said.
At approximately 1:05 AM on October 4th, we returned to the riverbank. Two other vessels were operating in a similar manner: simultaneously pumping and moving along the river. About 40 minutes later, another vessel arrived.
Mr. P. and another local resident stayed awake to chase them away. When several flashlights shone down, the people on the boat hid in the cabin, the boat veered away from the shore, while the suction pipes continued to operate. After about two hours, two boats left after being filled with sand. The river surface was only calm for about 15 minutes before three more boats arrived one after another.
In the darkness, large ships, without their lights on, lumbered across the water, their engines roaring along the river. Perhaps having detected people on shore, these ships did not stop at their original location but moved about 300 meters upstream before lowering their suction pipes.
When illuminated by local lights, two boats turned around and headed downstream, while the third continued dredging further from the shore. Another boat, already full of sand, also quietly sailed downstream.
We followed two boats downstream. Reaching a familiar area where previous boats had dredged sand, the two boats stopped again to continue dredging. One boat moved closer to the shore but still refused to leave despite the locals repeatedly shining lights. “They know we can’t reach them with stones, so they’re not afraid,” a local resident said.
Around 3:30 AM, after the hold was full of sand, the hull sank under the weight, leaving the rest of the ship looking like a bamboo leaf. The two ships departed one after another. About 30 minutes later, another ship appeared. It wasn’t until dawn that the ships finally withdrew.
Local residents say these vessels have a capacity of about 120-200 m³ of sand. What happened in one night suggests that sand dredging on this stretch of river is not an isolated incident.
Staying up all night to chase away illegal sand dredging boats.
At 5 PM on October 4th, we were again present at the Lam River bank in Hung Lam 2 hamlet. Many sand dredging boats were gathered there.
Remarkably, even in broad daylight, three ships successively left the dock to dredge sand from the river. The ships moved and dredged continuously in this area before continuing upstream, where many other ships had been operating at night. Upon noticing someone filming, the ships turned away from the shore, then continued dredging until their holds were full before finally leaving.
On the night of October 4th, the northeast monsoon arrived, bringing heavy rain . This was the most favorable time for sand dredging vessels to operate. From around 7 PM to the early morning of October 5th, according to observations by reporters and local residents, approximately 12 large vessels appeared in this section of the river.
Mr. P., one of the local residents who has had to stay up all night for many years to chase away illegal sand dredging boats, said angrily: “This situation has been going on for many years. Previously, they used small boats, but in the last 2-3 years, many large boats have appeared. When the authorities inspect and crack down, it’s quiet for a while. Then, late at night, they continue dredging.”
According to Mr. P., what worries the residents most is that the ships are operating closer and closer to the shore. “They are dredging right behind our houses, dredging so close to the shore that the embankment will be washed away, and landslides will threaten our homes,” Mr. P. worried.
Right behind Mr. P.’s house, near the riverbank, a few years ago, the commune police erected a corrugated iron shack to serve as a guard post for monitoring sand-dredging boats. Mr. P. was given the key and used it as a sleeping place to keep watch. “Many nights I couldn’t sleep at all; as soon as I dozed off, I heard the loud noise of the sand-dredging machines, so I had to get up to chase them away,” he said.
About 300 meters upstream from Mr. P.’s house, residents also frequently rush to the riverbank when they spot sand dredging boats. At times, people even sound the alarm to alert others to come out and chase them away.
According to observations by Thanh Nien reporters, the area where illegal sand is being extracted is quite far from the two licensed sand mines, one in Nghe An province and the other in Ha Tinh province. A sand mine owner said that many nights he has to use his boat to chase away the illegal sand dredging vessels because he fears this activity will affect his licensed mining area.
