Vietnamese Taiwanese business owners risked their lives pleading for help from the public security bureau, only to be met with: "The situation is beyond control."

▲ Protesters stormed the office and ransacked all valuable items. (Photo / Provided by reader Mr. Chen, a Taiwanese businessman; the same below)

Reporter Chen Ruizhong / Compiled report

Recalling the riots in Binh Duong, Vietnam, Mr. Chen, who fled overnight to Ho Chi Minh City, is still shaken.

Mr. Chen said the initial protests began in Binh Duong. At the time, most Taiwanese business owners thought it would be similar to previous strikes—limited to the factory gates—so they weren’t overly alarmed. But this time, the protesters directly broke through the gates, forcing local Taiwanese businesses to quickly evacuate their overseas staff back to dormitories and let the demonstrators wreak havoc on the factory grounds. Only after the crowds thinned out that evening did they hurriedly move the overseas staff to safer hotels or relocate them to Ho Chi Minh City, about a 1.5-hour drive away.

▲ The floor-to-ceiling glass was shattered by protesters, with shards scattered everywhere.

After Binh Duong, the unrest spread to Dong Nai Province. At the time, some Taiwanese and Chinese businesses still underestimated the severity of the situation, leaving their overseas staff in the factory dormitories and turning off the lights to stay quiet.

When protesters on motorcycles broke through the gates of Mr. Chen’s factory in the Nhon Trach Industrial Park, they immediately went on a rampage, then began carting off everything of value. Mr. Chen and his colleagues could only hide on the second and top floors, doing their best to protect themselves. But he also heard that employees at other companies were stripped of everything, left with nothing but their passports.

Mr. Chen revealed that the first time protesters passed through, they would demand all employees leave and halt factory operations; the second time, they began smashing the factory and offices, and finally moved in to loot anything valuable. Meanwhile, the protesters continued patrolling, repeatedly entering the factory grounds to check for hiding people or other valuables.

While fleeing, Mr. Chen personally witnessed entire streets of factories in Binh Duong being set ablaze."Compared to that, having an entire office smashed up is actually considered lucky!"Mr. Chen said.

▲ All drawers were pried open, and valuables inside were taken.

Mr. Chen also noted that although the main issue was related to mainland China, many protesters attacked indiscriminately—Taiwanese, mainland Chinese, Hong Kong, Korean, Japanese, or even French businesses. The larger the factory near the Nhon Trach Industrial Park, the more severely it was damaged, and any with Chinese signs were completely destroyed.

"Even after we took down our Chinese signs, they still looted us!"Mr. Chen reasonably guessed that the protesters mighthave actually scouted the locations of the factories and already identified their targets.As for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs' suggestionto "display Taiwan signage or the national flag,"Mr. Chen scoffed:"It’s clueless and naive—the government has no grasp of the actual situation on the ground!"

Mr. Chen also said that attacks occurred throughout the night, from 11 p.m. to 4 a.m., with many factories being repeatedly invaded. Moreover, the local information is chaotic, and there are reports of people blocking roads near the airport, stopping vehicles to check if they’re carrying Chinese nationals. "Unfortunately, Taiwanese are seen as no different from mainland Chinese in their eyes," so unless one has solid information or tickets, no one dares to head to the airport.

Seeing Vietnamese news reports that the government is allegedly tolerating the unrest for three days has also left Taiwanese business owners in sheer panic. Mr. Chen said it’s partly because the reality is already terrifying, and everyone believes the situation won’t end soon.

Mr. Chen used connections to reach out tothe deputy director of public security in Dong Nai,but was only told"This is beyond the control of public security."Coupled with what he saw on the ground—public security not intervening when factories were being destroyed, and even when they did, they could only stand by and let rioters enter—the signs pointed to complete lawlessness, leaving Mr. Chen and fellow Taiwanese business owners deeply disheartened.

▲ The VIP reception area was also vandalized by protesters.

Currently, all major hotels in downtown Ho Chi Minh City are fully booked. Only through the help of a trusted Vietnamese contact were Mr. Chen and his colleagues able to flee overnight to a small hotel in the city for some rest.

“But even after escaping to Ho Chi Minh City, there’s no real sense of safety,” because on one hand, some hotels in the city have explicitly stated they will not accommodate Chinese guests, and on the other, the drive from Ho Chi Minh City to Binh Duong is only about 1.5 hours — no one dares say whether the riots will spread to the city.“Once the riots reach downtown Ho Chi Minh City, will these small hotels obediently hand over anyone who looks Chinese?”This has become the biggest fear among Taiwanese businessmen staying at various hotels now.

▲ Although the office in the Nhon Trach Industrial Park was invaded by protesters, Mr. Chen is grateful that it was not set on fire.

Mr. Chen also said that besides the possibility of being stopped and checked along the way, the local airport is already overcrowded. Coupled with the fact that airlines have only increased seating capacity but not added more flights,“there’s simply no courage — nor available tickets — to return to Taiwan.”Mr. Chen hopesairlines can quickly hear the voices of local Taiwanese businessmen, increase flight schedules, and allow them to return home safely before Ho Chi Minh City falls further into chaos.