Over 200 delegates from 11 countries participated in a conference on mineral potential of Vietnam held in Hanoi on June 28.

Deputy Minister of Natural Resources and Environment Nguyen Linh Ngoc informed that Vietnam boasts rich mineral reserves, but has not been exploited effectively.

Vietnam has many kinds of minerals like Vonfram, lead, zinc, titanium, limestone, copper, manganese, iron, and apatite, Ngoc said, adding that the country wishes to access new technologies through cooperation with foreign experts and investors to effectively exploit mineral and natural resources and reduce environmental protection, thus helping Vietnam ’s mining industry to develop following the modern trend.

Engineer Tran Kim Phuong from the Institute of Mineral Geology introduced a project on using non-metal minerals to serve agriculture. The project research the use of peat and apatite ore to produce fertilizers which contributed to raising the country’s food output to 39 million tonnes a year from 21.4 million tonnes in 1988.

Foreign scientists and investors gave out many recommendations on developing the mining industry in Vietnam , especially policies to attract investors./.