Abstract

The Central Highlands of Vietnam has a full range of factors that govern the formation of a humid tropical weathering crust, including basalt type rocks, climatic conditions, topographic features, geomorphology, groundwater level, and overlay vegetation, weathering time, etc and lead to laterite weathering formation containing bauxite ore. With a reserve and resource of about 5.2 billion tons, bauxite is an important resource for Vietnam to develop the bauxite - aluminum industry. In the Central Highlands, there are currently 02 complexes of bauxite mining and alumina production in Tan Rai and Nhan Co and 01 aluminum electrolytic plant that is about to operate. In 2013 alumina was exported, bringing economic benefits, but affecting the natural and social environment of the Central Highlands region, where is the country's borderline and multi-ethnic lands. Risk assessment method and cost-benefit analysis method are the key tools to assess the economic, social and environmental efficiency of these two mentioned complexes. The evaluation results have showed that during 30 years of operation, Tan Rai complex did not gain environmental economic benefits; Nhan Co complex is more effective; Aluminum electrolytic plant become the highest ecoonomic efficiency. With the electronic shortage and low demand for aluminum, Vietnam should develop the industry according to the moderate-bauxite-alumina-aluminum product chain at taste in Nhan Co Industrial Park, Dak Nong Province.