In spite of that, the Vietnamese state-owned corporation Vietnam National Coal and Mineral Industries Group (VINACOMIN) went ahead with the mining project: construction began on the Tan Rai Plant in 2008 and in early 2012 it began extracting and processing aluminium from its raw source, bauxite [3, 6, 7]. After 5 years of construction and trial, in September, 2013, Tan Rai bauxite complex officially operated [9]. The greatest concern associated with the bauxite mining lies in the impact of the red mud (bauxite residue) and tailing slurry (waste water discharged during the sifting process) on the Central Highlands’ environment of and its downstream region. Containing high levels of metal oxide and sodium hydroxide, the sludge could cause great damage to water supplies and the surrounding agricultural industry (primarily coffee), as well as to the health and safety of thousands of residents in the area [2,3]. Related to that, some scientists have pointed out that the technologies and the technical design of the Tan Rai factory are problematic, given that Chalieco (a subsidiary of the Aluminium Corporation of China, the world’s third-largest aluminium producer), responsible for the construction and design of the alumina plants, has not used advanced technologies [4, 8].

In addition to that, deforestation, increased vulnerability to drought and floods in the lowlands, relocation and population displacement in a region that is traditionally home to hill tribes and indigenous populations, and the large amount of freshwater required for mining bauxite and producing alumina when water scarcity is growing in the Central Highlands, are also a matter of concern [4].

By the terms of the master plan, the project life is 30 years (2007-2036), with a total investment divided into two phases of implementation: from 2007 to 2015 and from 2016 to 2025 [2]. According to Vinacomin, the project is expected to operate for fifty to sixty years [4].

In the words of an official of Bao Lam District, where the project is located, in 2013 the Tan Rai bauxite project covered approximately 2,000 hectares.

It´s estimated that the Tan Rai project would produce 80 to 90 million tons of red mud over its lifespan, while Vinacomin had designed cesspools with a maximum capacity of only 25 million tons [4].