Vietnam ex-official took US$300,000 bribe to allow illicit sand mining

Illegal sand mining is rampant along the Dong Nai River in Dong Nai Province, causing serious erosion and threatening people's lives. - Photo: VNA/VNS

HANOI: A former senior provincial official in Vietnam took a US$300,000 bribe to allow illegal sand mining in the Mekong Delta, state media said Thursday (Dec 12).

Mining sand -- mainly for concrete used in construction -- has boomed in Vietnam in recent years, prompting dire warnings over the environmental impact of overexploitation.