Peat sits at the most awkward junction of resources policy: it is at once a licensable mineral and a wetland soil layer that stores carbon and holds water for a whole region. Peat mining is therefore not appraised like an ordinary earth pit — the file must also answer for wetland ecosystems and the carbon emissions when the peat layer is drained and oxidised. This article sets out the permit and environmental regime for peat mining in Vietnam.
The legal frame for peat mining
- Mineral status — peat is a mineral under Law on Geology and Minerals 54/2024/QH15: exploration and mining need licences, reserve approval and planning conformity like any mining activity; peat products serve mainly organic fertiliser, soil conditioner and local fuel markets.
- The overlapping wetland layer: many peat areas (typically the U Minh region) attach to wetland ecosystems and melaleuca forests of conservation value; Biodiversity Law 20/2008/QH12 and established wetland conservation areas may prohibit or strictly restrict mining in core and sensitive buffer zones.
- The climate factor in EIA: draining and digging peat oxidises the remaining layer and emits greenhouse gases, while raising dry-season peat fire risk — a peat project’s EIA must assess carbon emissions and water-management and fire-prevention plans as core content, under LEP 72/2020/QH14.
- Post-mining rehabilitation: worked peat areas must be rehabilitated to the environmental plan — commonly restoring waterlogging and replanting native vegetation; hydrological restoration is the condition for stopping post-closure emissions and underground fires.
Assessing a peat project before filing
- Check conservation overlap first: cross the mine coordinates against wetland conservation areas, national parks and buffer zones — core-zone overlap is an absolute stop, not a negotiation item.
- Quantify carbon and water in the feasibility study: carbon stock in the peat layer to be mined, a water-retention plan for the remainder and dry-season fire-prevention costs — these costs decide the project’s real economics.
- Design wet rehabilitation inside the mining design: cell mining with canal and bund systems allowing hydrological restoration cell by cell after extraction, instead of leaving the whole area drained at closure.
Peat teaches a general lesson for the mining sector: some ‘minerals’ are most valuable left in the ground — holding water, holding carbon, holding ecosystems. A feasible peat project proves that what it takes is far smaller than the ecosystem it keeps intact and restores after mining.
Frequently asked questions
Does peat mining need a permit?
Yes: peat is a mineral under Law on Geology and Minerals 54/2024/QH15, requiring exploration licences, reserve approval and a mining licence, plus EIA and rehabilitation conditions like any mineral activity.
How does peat mining affect wetlands?
Mining alters wetland hydrology (drainage, water-table drop), destroys melaleuca–wetland habitat and raises dry-season peat fire risk; areas within wetland conservation zones may be prohibited or restricted for mining.
What is mined peat used for?
Mainly organic fertiliser, soil conditioners, agricultural growing media and local fuel after processing; product value and offtake must be proven in the investment project because peat is a low unit-value mineral where transport cost decides viability.
Why must a peat project assess carbon emissions?
The peat layer stores carbon long-term; drainage and mining oxidise the remaining peat, emitting greenhouse gases and creating fire risk. The EIA must quantify these emissions with water-management and fire-prevention plans under LEP 72/2020.
This article has been quality-reviewed by the FLAW AI Legal Council