ORGANIZED LOOTING
"Our personal belongs - computers, luggage, rings and clothes - in the company housing, have all been taken," said He Yulong, whose rooms were looted.
"Many of my workmates have lost everything and boarded the evacuation ships with nothing," He said, adding that their office building, toolhouse and warehouse had all been burnt.
Fan said the looting on May 14 was well planned and organized."Nearly 1,000 rioters were divided into four groups. The first group rode motorcycles to find where we were. The second group was the smashing team and the third was looting team. The last group set fire to the site."
Economic losses are expected to be huge. There are hundreds of Chinese enterprises in Ha Tinh, and most have been affected by the riot.
Among the Chinese workers evacuated, many are from MCC, a contractor of an iron and steel complex owned by the Formosa Plastics Group of Taiwan. The Ha Tinh project, with a planned investment of 23 billion U.S. dollars, was expected to be Southeast Asia's largest steel-making facility when completed in 2017.
Yan Guoliang, a senior manager of MCC, said construction could only be resumed when the security problem has been solved and compensation has been made.
"Local cops came to the site to check on the situation, but some of them turned a blind eye to the riot at the start," Yan said.
Besides Chinese companies, a large number of South Korean, Japanese and Singaporean plants also fell prey to mobs and their factories were forced to shut down.
China, holding sufficient economic leverage over Hanoi to protect its interests, has so far exercised maximum restraint, but Chinese tourists are canceling trips to Vietnam.
PAINS TO BE HEALED
The attacks have not only disrupted the operations of Chinese companies, but have cast a shadow over investors and workers, who now have second thoughts about doing business in Vietnam.
"Although there are now military forces around the industrial park to protect the workers, I and most of my colleagues don't want to work there again," Fan said, adding that a salary double domestic levels is not so so attractive after the riot.
An injured worker surnamed Wei didn't want to think back to the night of the attacks. "I only want to go home," he said.
"Many Chinese workers were in great panic after the riot, especially the people who had engaged the mob or witnessed the bloody scene. They need counseling," Yan said.
One worker still held a steel tube in his sleep even on the evacuation ship, Yan said.
Chinese Assistant Foreign Minister Liu Jianchao said that ensuring the safety of its nationals is China's top priority. A trans-agency working group set up to deal with the aftermath of the violence will prolong its stay in Vietnam.
