New evidence of legendary treasure in Vietnam View more pictures The ancient items found by the 97-year-old man under the Tau Mountain during his search for the "Japanese treasure" Photo: Tuoi Tre The Binh Thuan Province People’s Committee has given a 97-year-old man an extension in his hunt for what he believes to be a treasure of 4,000 tons of gold buried by the Japanese under a local mountain in 1945. Le Tien Phuong, chairman of the provincial People’s Committee, said on November 16 that the local government has agreed to give Tran Van Tiep, the 97-year-old resident of Ho Chi Minh City, one more extension as his team has reported “new findings.” Accordingly Tiep, who has spent 20 years searching for the treasure, can continue pursuing his "gold" dream until June 30, 2013. Tiep had previously been given an extension that expired on October 30.  The latest extension was given last Friday after the team reported to authorities that they had found metal structures inside the Tau Mountain in Phuoc The commune, Tuy Phong district. These structures were identified after the team had drilled at different depth levels. At some points that had been drilled, there were signals showing metals near the surface, but at other spots the metals appears to be located deep underground, said Tran Phuong Hong, the man’s youngest son, who is part of the team that is hunting the treasure. Nguyen Ngoc Hanh, deputy director of the provincial Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism, said, “Even if the metals are not gold, they may be minerals, so the authorities have agreed to let Tiep continue his search for what he thinks is a treasure.”  An area in the Tau Mountain in Phuoc The Commune, Binh Thuan Province (Photo: Nguoi Lao Dong) According to the team, these findings consolidated the belief, held by Tiep for years, that there is a treasure under the mountain. 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. However, in a talk with Dat Viet newspapers, Dr Vu Van Bang, who has been invited by Tiep to survey the mountain, said it is impossible for there to be a treasure inside the mountain. Bang said that a team, under his instruction, has surveyed the mountain from top to bottom using the georadiation measurement method. Bang’s team found three relatively large slits inside the mountain and some signals of gold were found in the slits, but after excavations no gold was found there, the specialist said. As previously reported, 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. 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.” TUOITRENEWS