Vietnamese press is stating that more than 1 300 footwear workers were hospitalized with symptoms of "toxicant syndrome", Thursday last week, after drinking water at a factory in Thanh Hoa Province. Employees were taken to the hospital with symptoms such as vomiting, dizziness and fainting, headaches, and stomachaches. As of Friday, about 50 workers remained hospitalized but no fatalities were registered, according to the local press.

The local Department of Health’s is being cited to confirm the initial diagnosis on the workers, but has yet to identify the precise toxin responsible for the poisoning, while initial biochemical tests so far have found all substances in the drinking water were within safety ranges, adding that other tests were still in progress.

Vietnamese press is now recalling a similar case that occurred at the company in March 2011, with nearly 300 workers hospitalized for food poisoning after lunch. The incident occurs at a time when anti-China sentiment runs high in Vietnam, with many locals participating in protests against claims over islands in dispute between China and neighbor countries in the South China Sea.

Hong Fu Vietnam Footwear Company is a joint venture with Taiwan, and an important manufacturer and exporter of footwear. The company began operation in 2011 and employs more than 10 000 workers.