This young Vietnamese man transforms sand into stunning works of art
'A small mistake that disrupts the colors can ruin the entire artwork'
Nine ships caught illicitly exploiting sand in northern Vietnamese province
The ships were equipped with numerous pumps and often mined sand at midnight
Illicit sand mining rampant in southern Vietnam mountain range
The heavily guarded mines operate around the clock
Demand for artificial sand increases in Ho Chi Minh City
Manufactured sand is 10 to 15 percent cheaper than natural sand
Major rivers endangered by hydropower dams, sand mining in central Vietnam
Vu Gia- Thu Bon, one of central Vietnam’s largest river systems, is being devastated by hydropower and sand exploitation operations
Vietnam forecast to run out of construction sand by 2020
Growing demand and lack of alternative materials are to blame
Residents losing land to sand thieves in Ho Chi Minh City (pics)
Locals in a Ho Chi Minh City district are fighting a losing battle against illegal sand miners, as the act has triggered alarming land subsidence and caused large land plots to “evaporate”
Illegal sand mining partly to blame for land subsidence in southern Vietnam (photos)
Illegal sand mining has wreaked havoc on many provinces in the Mekong Delta and has partly triggered the land subsidence which shattered many local homes