Today all that has changed with dedicated road bridges for all the river crossings. Currently about 1,000 mines and quarries in the country exploit more than 50 different mineral resources. Most, except a few coal operations, are small scale, employing dated technologies and equipment. Unorganised and unofficial mining is common in the coal, gold, gemstone tin and chromium sectors. Vinacoal's 1997 output will be 10 Mt, with 3.6-3.7 Mt exported.
Exports are mainly to China, Japan and other southeast Asian countries.
Vinacoal plans to raise output to 12 Mt by 2000, and possibly to 15 Mt by 2010. The loan, guaranteed through Vinacoal's overseas sales contracts, will be used to upgrade equipment and increase production. The tender for a second such co-operation between a Vinacoal company and foreign participants is imminent. Vietnam has total coal reserves of 6,600 Mt, of which 3,600 Mt are proven. Last May the Vietnam Mineral Corp., as project leader, started a feasibility study of the Tan Rai bauxite deposit in Lam Dong.