Vinacomin plans to further reduce coal exports this year owing to increased domestic demand. The state-owned enterprise plans to produce 38 million tonnes of coal with 35 million tonnes to be sold domestically with the remainder, representing 8% of output, to be exported.

HAZELWOOD Resources is initiating a plan to drive operational efficiencies and increase profitability at its ATC ferrotungsten plant in Vietnam. The plan is the result of a strategic review Hazelwood undertook when new executive chairman Mark Warren joined the board in September 2014.

Resumption of production at Besra’s Bong Mieu site in Central Vietnam is progressing and costs are being strictly analysed on an ongoing basis and are reducing. Following close of the company's financing, further funds are expected be allocated to bringing Bong Mieu back to normal production.

The Vietnam National Coal and Mineral Industries Group (Vinacomin) has signed 10 Memoranda of Understanding (MoU) with foreign companies for the annual supply of about 20 million tonnes of coal. Vietnam’s Ministry of Industry and Trade said that the companies with whom the MoUs have been signed are from Indonesia, Australia and Japan.

Cummins Power Generation (CPG), via its distributor Cummins DKSH (Vietnam) LLC (CDV), has signed partnerships with two leading local companies in Vietnam in a determined move to increase its market share and secure business growth in the South East Asian nation.

Vanguard Mining Corporation has conducted a site visit to perform a due diligence review of a silica company based in Central Vietnam that owns an 85.15-hectare silica sand concession and has operated a 5-hectare factory since 2006. The due diligence forms part of a proposed acquisition of the silica company.

Vanguard Mining Corporation has signed an MoU to acquire a 51% equity ownership in a Vietnam-based company that owns an 85.15-hectare silica sand concession and has operated a 5-hectare factory in Central Vietnam since 2006. The final purchase price will be determined by both parties, subject to satisfactory due diligence review.

Asian Mineral Resources has appointed Tim Ashworth as general manager operations, to run its high-grade nickel operation at Ban Phuc in Son La, Vietnam. Tim Ashworth has more than 18 years’ experience in underground and surface mining, overseeing owner-mining and contract-mining operations across international operations.

Hazelwood Resources is initiating a plan to drive operational efficiencies and increase profitability at its ATC ferrotungsten plant in Vietnam. The plan is the result of a strategic review Hazelwood undertook when new executive chairman Mark Warren joined the board in September 2014.

VIETNAM is well endowed with mineral resources but there has been limited modern exploration and much of its potential is still to be realized. While coal dominates, there are extensive bauxite resources, and the nation also has iron ore, chromite, copper, tin, wolfram, gold, lead, zinc, uranium, antimony, rare earths, gems, limestone and clay.

ASIAN Mineral Resources’ (AMR) subsidiary, Ban Phuc Nickel Mines (BPNM) has been awarded a mineral exploration licence which provides for exploration of nickel-copper mineralization over a large area around its operating Ban Phuc nickel mine. The licence provides BPNM with exclusive rights to explore 49.7sqkm in Son La province with the immediate focus being on targeted extensions to the operating mine.

Besra advises that following further negotiations, an amended and restated investment agreement has been signed with George Molyviatis, pursuant to which he will effect an investment in Besra of Can$15 million convertible notes convertible into 300 million common shares.

Besra last week resumed production at its Bong Mieu gold mine in central Vietnam after a hiatus of almost 11 months. It is expected to take between three and six months to ramp up to pre-closure daily production of around 350 tonnes.

Vanguard Mining Corporation has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Minh Duc ICC Co, a Vietnam-based company, to supply sand from the Mekong Delta of Vietnam to Singapore.

Besra announces that Tradora Ltd, an affiliate of Victory Corporation Group, has agreed to advance Besra US$2.25 million by way of an interest-free unsecured convertible redeemable note expected to be issued on or before August 29, 2014. The payment is pending regulatory approval of a financing arrangement with Tradora.

With the transition to regular refining operations at the ATC Ferrotungsten Project in Vietnam, Hazelwood Resources has moved to quarterly production reporting. A total of 254 tonnes of ferrotungsten metal was lifted from the furnace during the June quarter.

Besra suspended operations at its Bong Mieu site in central Vietnam from July 18 and at its nearby Phuoc Son site on July 22 as a direct result of coercive measures taken by the provincial Quang Nam Tax Department.

Asian Mineral Resources’ subsidiary, Ban Phuc Nickel Mines (BPNM) has been awarded a mineral exploration licence which provides for the exploration of nickel-copper mineralization over a significant area around its operating Ban Phuc nickel mine in Son La, Vietnam.

Besra is in receipt of a signed subscription agreement from Victory Corporation Group (VCG). The subscription agreement provides for the purchase by VCG, or one or more of its affiliates, of 250 million common shares in Besra Gold for aggregate gross proceeds of US$14.25 million.

Vanguard Mining Corporation has signed a rescission agreement with Linh Thanh Quang Binh High Calcium Carbonate Powder Exploiting and Processing Joint Stock Company (LTQB) and its original controlling shareholders to terminate the company’s majority stake in LTQB. This has been done to enable Vanguard to focus on mining activities in Indonesia.