Once again, 98-year-old Tran Van Tiep, of Ho Chi Minh City, has been given an extension for his search for what he believes to be a treasure of 4,000 tons of gold buried by the Japanese under a mountain in Binh Thuan Province in 1945.

>> New evidence of legendary treasure in Vietnam>> Authorities expand area for ‘$100 bln treasure’ hunt The provincial People’s Committee had a meeting on Monday with Tiep during which the authorities announced a decision signed on October 2 by the committee’s chairman to extend the search for six months. According to the decision, Tiep is allowed to search the “treasure” in an area of 2,565 square meters at the Tau Mountain in Phuoc The commune, Tuy Phong district. The old man is also permitted to use 108 drills in the search but is banned to use explosives. In the event that Tiep’s search comes to nothing when the extension period is over, he must stop the hunt immediately, restore the area he used, and is not allowed to lodge any complaint related to his work, the decision said. Nguyen Ngoc Hanh, deputy director of the provincial Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism, said that Tiep asked for a 12-month extension and for using explosives but the local government did not accept his requests. This is the latest extension the authorities have given to the old man, who has spent over 20 years pursuing his dream.  The previous extension, also for a 6-month period, ended on June 30, 2013. Tiep believes that at the end of World War II, after Japan surrendered to the Allies, Japanese general Yamashita ordered his soldiers to bury about 4,000 tons of gold and jewelry under the mountain, next to Ca Na Bay, the boundary between Binh Thuan and Ninh Thuan.

This file photo shows a path that leads to the top of Tau Mountain. The path was built by Tran Van Tiep at his expense. (Photo: Tuoi Tre)

Tiep’s confidence in the existence of the treasure was strengthened in 1992 when he found an old Japanese sword with its scabbard, a 10,000-yen coin, a broken metal hookah, and two metal Black Dragon insignias during an excavation on the east side of the mountain. Tiep previously told the media that, “I have hunted for the treasure not for my own benefit… I have always considered the treasure a state asset. I have sought the treasure at my own expense and have not asked the government for a cent.”The treasure may be valued at over US$100 billion, according to Tiep, who has paid the authorities a deposit of VND500 million (US$24,000) to repair environmental damage. In related news, another man who had also spent a long time hunting for a “treasure” at Ma Cu Mountain in the central Quang Binh province was found dead on Sunday morning, October 6. The man, 61-year-old Nguyen Hong Cong, died in his tent on Ma Cu Mountain in Hoa Son Commune, Minh Hoa district. Cong spent 30 years hunting for what he believed to be a treasure buried in central Quang Binh province by King Ham Nghi (1972-1943), the eighth king of the Vietnamese Nguyen Dynasty. According to Cong’s claims, after failing in a nationwide insurrection against the French in 1885, King Ham Nghi and his entourage had to flee. On the way to escape from the French, the king ordered to hide a treasure in Hoa Son. However, the provincial authorities said Cong’s claim was not based on any scientific grounds.