Thousands of residents in Van Phu and Phuong Lau communes in northern Viet Tri City are reportedly wearing facial masks overnight, which is not a kind of skin care for brighter skin the next morning but rather a way to fight against air pollution there.

Black water discharged from the Viet Tri urban waste treatment factory.

A local resident, Nguyen Van Quang, of Phuong Lau Commune told Nong thon ngay nay (Countryside today) newspaper that local farmers could not grow any crops or raise fish at the area nearby Viet Tri urban waste treatment factory.

They have to close all the doors and windows, he said, adding that they even wore masks when sleeping at night to avoid the smell of improperly-treated waste water from the factory.

Local residents recently used cement to cover the factory's waste water pipe. But, in response, the factory released waste water into a field.

Chairman of Van Phu Commune, Nguyen Quoc Tuan, said that they submitted resident complaints to a higher authority. Phu Tho Province planned to move the factory out of the residential area but didn't say when.

Is it worth waiting?