Vietnam has fined a Hong Kong-based textile firm for releasing toxic wastewater in the northern province of Hai Duong.

The Pacific Crystal Textiles company was fined VND672 million – the equivalent of $A39,000 – for discharging wastewater that exceeded permitted levels of toxic waste.

The company began operating in Hai Duong province in December 2015.

According to Vietnam’s General Statistics Office, 80 percent of the country’s industrial parks violated environmental regulations last year.

The office also found that foreign-invested firms accounted for 60 percent of 50 companies caught discharging waste that exceeds the allowable standards.

– TiVi Tuan-san