A Vietnamese chemical giant faces a pollution and corruption probe as residents endure toxic fumes from its sprawling industrial complex.

LAO CAI: Grey smoke billows around the clock from Vietnam’s largest chemical production hub, where residents have long endured toxic fumes and industrial noise.

“It smells stinky, pungent, rotten,” said a 64-year-old local woman named Nguyen, who lives three kilometres from the Tang Loong industrial park. “Even if we close the doors, the smell is still in the air.”

The complex is home to Duc Giang Chemicals Group, a major global exporter of yellow phosphorus with an annual capacity of nearly 70,000 tonnes.

Police this month arrested DGC chairman Dao Huu Huyen, one of Vietnam’s richest men, alongside his son and five other company officers.

They face accusations of illegally dumping millions of tonnes of waste across tens of hectares and illegally extracting hundreds of thousands of tons of phosphate ore.

The alleged crimes, which police said sparked public outrage, represent a dramatic fall for the VN-30 index member, once valued at around US$1 billion.

Analysts note the arrests fit within Vietnam’s sweeping, years-long anti-corruption campaign.

“This may eventually be framed as just another case of high-level corruption,” said Pantheon Macroeconomics economist Miguel Chanco.

The drive has accelerated under top leader To Lam, removing many political opponents and consolidating his power.

Experts suggest the scale of the alleged offences prompted the crackdown.

“The Duc Giang leaders apparently do not have the level of political connections to be able to avoid this outcome,” said Stimson Center expert Andrew Wells-Dang.

He added the accusations were “probably not different from what many mining companies do, just on a larger and more blatant scale”.

For locals, the industrial park represents a complex trade-off between economic opportunity and environmental health.

The zone provides jobs paying at least 10 million dong (US$380) a month, a reasonable wage outside major cities.

One woman said all her children work there and none have reported health issues.

But Nguyen lamented the persistent pollution, stating residents have little choice but to accept it.

“We want a better life, less polluted of course, but we have to accept the way it is,” she said. “We have nowhere else to go.”

 The Sun Malaysia