Villagers in a northern Vietnamese region’s rural area have been plagued by a number of privately-owned aluminum factories located right in the vicinity of their homes, notwithstanding attempts to voice their complaints.

Twenty-eight facilities producing gates and fences from ingot aluminum have been working in a commune of Hai Hau District in Nam Dinh Province, sending smoke and noise to the surrounding houses.

Even a small area of the commune has two or three such factories.

Hoang Van Tinh, a villager here, said local people told the commune’s administration that they objected to the building of aluminum factories near their homes from the outset.

The residents sent multiple petitions, each with 50 to 60 signatures, to competent agencies.

But they felt highly dissatisfied to know that the construction was still in progress and the plants eventually came into operation.

Ngo Van Luc, another local, said his family has not enjoyed fresh air and tranquility typical of the countryside since the plants appeared.

“Each factory is about four or five times larger than a house, working day and night. They’re causing terrible air pollution and annoying noise, and we don’t know where to go for a respite,” Luc said.

Odors of chemicals and paints and from melting aluminum emanate from the factories in the early hours every day, causing breathing difficulties and uncomfortable feelings for villagers, according to Luong Van Thai, who usually has to close all doors and windows of his house to avoid the situation.

All the plants, owned by local residents, were built without encouragement from the government, said Dang Thanh Son, chairman of the Hai Van Commune People’s Committee in Hai Hau District.

The committee cannot deal with the factories’ operations, for this is outside the limit of its authority, Son said.

It has submitted proposals to higher-level regulators so that the facilities are forced to be removed from the residential area, he added.

The aluminum factories, with around 855 workers, have neither documents of environmental risk assessment nor methods to reduce pollution, according to an inspection of the committee. 

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