A Vietnamese court has sentenced 23 officials and businesspeople for illegally exploiting and exporting rare earths from a northern mine, in a case the court called "especially serious."

Among those jailed was former Deputy Minister of Natural Resources and Environment Nguyen Linh Ngoc, who got three years for violating state regulations. Other sentences ranged up to 16 years. Four additional defendants received suspended sentences.

The group was found guilty of unlawfully licensing and profiting from rare earth and iron ore mining at the Yen Phu site in Yen Bai province between 2019 and 2023. The materials were sold for nearly $30 million, much of it to China.

The trial follows the US Geological Survey’s sharp downgrade of Vietnam’s estimated rare earth reserves—from 22 million to 3.5 million tons—dropping it from second to sixth place globally. The cut casts doubt on Vietnam’s hopes to rival China in a sector vital to high-tech industries.

Rare earth extraction is lucrative but environmentally hazardous, generating toxic waste and requiring costly processing.

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