The Dong Vinh Industrial Cluster needs to be relocated away from residential areas as soon as possible.
For many years, hundreds of households living around the Dong Vinh Industrial Cluster, in Thanh Vinh ward (formerly Dong Vinh ward, Vinh City), have had to endure air pollution from factories operating in the area.
Residents petition for relocation.
Over 20 years ago, the Dong Vinh Industrial Cluster in Dong Vinh commune, Vinh City (now Thanh Vinh ward) began operations. The cluster covers an area of 5 hectares and was previously managed by the former Vinh City People's Committee, now the Thanh Vinh Ward People's Committee. Currently, seven businesses operate there: Nghe An Packaging Joint Stock Company (packaging production), Naconex Joint Stock Company (wood processing, plastic pellets, corrugated iron), Quang Trieu Limited Company (fine wood furniture production), Xuan Ngoc Limited Company (plywood production, forest product processing), Saigon Beer North Central Trading Joint Stock Company (warehouse), and Hong Kong Group Limited Company (aluminum production).
When the Dong Vinh Industrial Cluster was first established, the area was sparsely populated, surrounded mostly by vacant land and a few scattered households. However, with the process of urbanization, new residential areas have sprung up increasingly densely. From being located on the outskirts of the old Vinh City, this industrial cluster is now nestled amidst a densely populated residential area, creating a series of problems regarding the environment and noise, directly affecting the lives of hundreds of households.
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Mr. Nguyen Dinh, a resident of Vinh Yen block, Thanh Vinh ward, living next to this industrial cluster, said: "Whenever the factories in the cluster operate at full capacity, smoke and dust fill the air. On some days, soot falls and covers the yard completely; no matter how much we wipe, it's not clean. Even with the doors and windows tightly closed, the acrid smell still seeps into the house. We have complained many times, but nothing changes."
According to Mr. Dinh, this situation has lasted for many years, affecting the health of residents, especially the elderly and young children. "We live in a residential area that's no different from living next to a garbage incinerator. What the residents want most is for this industrial cluster to be relocated as soon as possible."
It's not just Mr. Dinh's family; many households in the surrounding area have reported similar situations. Whenever the wind changes direction or the businesses increase production, dust and smoke spread strongly, covering rooftops and gardens with a thin layer.
Regarding environmental pollution issues at the Dong Vinh Industrial Cluster, before the implementation of the two-tiered local government system, the Vinh City People's Committee had repeatedly inspected the compliance with environmental protection and water resource laws by facilities within the Dong Vinh Industrial Cluster. Through these inspections, several production facilities were found to not meet standards for air and wastewater emissions.
Due to the pollution situation at the Dong Vinh Industrial Cluster, in 2020, the Provincial People's Committee assigned the Vinh City People's Committee as the investor for the project "Upgrading and renovating the technical infrastructure of the Dong Vinh Industrial Cluster" with the goal of creating a synchronized wastewater treatment system and ensuring environmental hygiene... This has made relocating this industrial cluster away from residential areas even more difficult, despite repeated petitions from residents at voter outreach meetings...
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A relocation plan needs to be submitted soon.
Although the "Upgrading and renovating the technical infrastructure of Dong Vinh Industrial Cluster" project has been implemented, many local residents believe that the environmental pollution problem there is very difficult to completely resolve. Furthermore, many urban development projects are currently underway in the surrounding area. If this industrial cluster is not relocated away from residential areas soon, it will certainly be difficult to attract residents to live there.
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Several years ago, the Provincial People's Committee assigned the task to relevant departments and the former Vinh City to develop a roadmap for relocating industrial clusters with high pollution risks out of the inner city. Provincial leaders also requested that proposals for relocating facilities and units with potentially polluting industries operating within the city be submitted soon, in order to ensure a healthy living environment for residents.
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Previously, the former Vinh City had issued a policy to review and adjust the planning and gradually relocate polluting industrial clusters out of the area. However, the implementation process encountered many obstacles related to legal procedures and land lease contracts already signed with businesses. These constraints have prevented the relocation plan, despite being outlined, from being implemented in practice to this day.
Mr. Nguyen Sy Dieu, Chairman of the People's Committee of Thanh Vinh Ward, said: "Currently, it is very difficult to relocate this industrial cluster because it was planned and has been in operation for a long time. If we want to relocate it, we have to wait until the project's time is up or we have to allocate another plot of land to move these factories to..."