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Monday, 10th April 2006 (5540 views)

The first gold processing plant to be constructed in Vietnam since the Second World War has begun operating for the first time, officials announced.

The construction of Bong Mieu was completed late last year at an approximate cost of between six and seven million US dollars and the plant is expected to have a total annual capacity of 600kg of purified gold.

Bong Mieu's current ore processing capacity is 500 tonnes per day but this is expected to rise to 800 tonnes per day soon.

The plant and associated mine at Ho Gan are operated by Canadian firm Olympus Pacific Minerals in association with two smaller Vietnamese companies, Mineral Development and Quang Nam Mineral Industrial.

Olympus Pacific's chairman and CEO David Seton told the Vietnam News Agency: "We want to establish a modern and efficient gold mining industry that will explore, discover and develop resources within the district."

Mr Seton also said he hoped that Bong Mieu would create long-term employment prospects, in addition to the 250 jobs created thus far by the project, and allow for a solid economy to be established in what is an underdeveloped area.

The last gold processing plant in operation in the South East Asian country was destroyed during the 1940s, originally constructed by French colonists.

 

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