Rare Earth Elements Are Scattered Across the Globe Rare earth elements are distributed widely around the world. However, the extraction and refinement of these elements are challenging and costly, making them an incredibly valuable resource.
Countries with the Largest Rare Earth Reserves
Rare Earth Elements (REE) refer to a group of 17 chemical elements in the periodic table, including Scandium (Sc), Yttrium (Y), and 15 elements from the Lanthanide series (La, Ce, Pr, Nd, Pm, Sm, Eu, Gd, Tb, Dy, Ho, Er, Tm, Yb, Lu).
These elements are crucial materials in various high-tech fields such as electronics, optoelectronics, lasers, superconductors, phosphors, catalysts, magnets, weaponry, and medical equipment. Therefore, they are considered a highly valuable resource.
Global Rare Earth Reserves. (Image: Alamy).
According to estimates by the United States Geological Survey, the global rare earth reserves are around 120 million tons.
The top five countries with the largest rare earth reserves are:
- 1. China: 44 million tons (accounting for 37.9% of global reserves)
- 2. Vietnam: 22 million tons (accounting for 18.9%)
- 3. Brazil: 21 million tons (accounting for 18.1%)
- 4. Russia: 12 million tons (accounting for 10.3%)
- 5. India: 6.9 million tons (accounting for 5.9%)
Other countries with significant rare earth reserves include:
- Australia: 4.1 million tons
- United States: 1.5 million tons
- Greenland: 1.5 million tons
- Tanzania: 0.89 million tons
- Canada: 0.8 million tons
Rare earth mines are valuable natural resources due to their numerous applications, especially in high-tech industries. (Image: Agmental Miner).
Major Rare Earth Mines in Vietnam
In Vietnam, rare earth elements are primarily concentrated in the mountainous regions of the North, particularly in provinces like Lai Châu, Sơn La, Lào Cai, and Yên Bái, and are also distributed along the coastal provinces of North Central and Central Vietnam such as Hà Tĩnh, Ninh Thuận, and Bình Thuận.
Significant rare earth mines in Vietnam include:
Nậm Xê Rare Earth Mine: located in Nậm Xê commune, Phong Thổ district, Lai Châu province. Area: 125.98 km². Estimated reserves: about 10 million tons.
Monitoring the status of Đông Pao Rare Earth Mine. (Image: Tam Đường District Information Portal).
Đông Pao Rare Earth Mine: located in Bản Hon commune, Tam Đường district, Lai Châu province. Area: 53.99 km². Estimated reserves: between 8 and 10 million tons.
Mường Hum Rare Earth Mine: located in Mường Hum commune, Bát Xát district, Lào Cai province. Area: 26.84 km². Exact reserves are unclear, but it is considered to have large potential.
Yên Phú Rare Earth Mine: located in Yên Phú commune, Văn Yên district, Yên Bái province. Estimated reserves: 20,000 tons.
Other rare earth mines with lower reserves but significant potential for exploitation include:
- Kỳ Ninh Mine: located in Kỳ Khang commune, Kỳ Anh district, Hà Tĩnh.
- Kẻ Sung Mine: located in Thừa Thiên-Huế.
- Cát Khánh Mine: located in Cát Khánh commune, Phù Cát district, Bình Định province.
- Hàm Tân Mine: located in Hàm Tân district, Bình Thuận province.
Does Vietnam Export Rare Earth Elements?
According to estimates by the United States Geological Survey, Vietnam has rare earth reserves of about 22 million tons, ranking second in the world, only after China.
Vietnam began extracting rare earth elements around 2014, but the country’s extraction and export of rare earth elements have not matched its potential. The extraction is still small-scale, and there have even been instances of illegal mining and smuggling of rare earth elements.
Additionally, Vietnam has not yet developed the capability to process rare earth elements to separate individual rare earth elements, mainly exporting them in the form of raw ore, which has a low market value.
Sample of rare earth ore extracted from the Nậm Xê mine. (Image: Ministry of Science and Technology).
At the end of 2022, Vietnam reached an agreement to export rare earth elements to South Korea, starting with a production of 1,000 tons per year, which later increased to 2,000 tons per year.
According to the exploration, extraction, processing, and utilization plan for minerals during the 2021-2023 period with a vision to 2050, approved by the Prime Minister in July, Vietnam aims to achieve an extraction target of over 2 million tons of rare earth ore annually. The two mines focused on investment for extraction are Yên Phú (Yên Bái) and Đông Pao (Lai Châu).
By 2030, Vietnam aims to extract 2.1 million tons of rare earth ore for export to other countries.
To achieve this goal, Vietnam needs to continue investing in the exploration, extraction, and processing of rare earth elements.
Vietnam also needs to develop or import and transfer environmentally friendly rare earth extraction technologies from countries experienced in rare earth mining, minimizing environmental harm during the extraction of this valuable resource.
