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Marketable Securities - Additional Information (Detail) (USD $)
In Millions, unless otherwise specified
12 Months Ended
Dec. 31, 2014
Dec. 31, 2013
Schedule Of Available For Sale Securities [Line Items]    
Marketable securities $ 255.6us-gaap_AvailableForSaleSecuritiesNoncurrent $ 253.3us-gaap_AvailableForSaleSecuritiesNoncurrent
Amalgamated Sugar Company LLC    
Schedule Of Available For Sale Securities [Line Items]    
Net of assets transferred to the LLC 34vhi_CostBasisOfNetAssetsContributed
/ us-gaap_RelatedPartyTransactionsByRelatedPartyAxis
= vhi_AmalgamatedSugarCompanyLlcMember
 
Marketable securities 250.0us-gaap_AvailableForSaleSecuritiesNoncurrent
/ us-gaap_RelatedPartyTransactionsByRelatedPartyAxis
= vhi_AmalgamatedSugarCompanyLlcMember
 
Cost of the investment in LLC 250us-gaap_AvailableForSaleEquitySecuritiesAmortizedCostBasis
/ us-gaap_RelatedPartyTransactionsByRelatedPartyAxis
= vhi_AmalgamatedSugarCompanyLlcMember
 
Percentage of share from profit of LLC 95.00%vhi_PreferentialDistributionPercentage
/ us-gaap_RelatedPartyTransactionsByRelatedPartyAxis
= vhi_AmalgamatedSugarCompanyLlcMember
 
Additional preferential share receivable in case distributions are below this base level 95.00%vhi_PreferentialDistributionPercentageExcessOfBaseLevel
/ us-gaap_RelatedPartyTransactionsByRelatedPartyAxis
= vhi_AmalgamatedSugarCompanyLlcMember
 
Amalgamated Sugar Company LLC | Base Level    
Schedule Of Available For Sale Securities [Line Items]    
Distributions from LLC - aggregate annual base level 26.7us-gaap_InvestmentIncomeDividend
/ us-gaap_CreditRatingFitchAxis
= vhi_BaseLevelMember
/ us-gaap_RelatedPartyTransactionsByRelatedPartyAxis
= vhi_AmalgamatedSugarCompanyLlcMember
 
Snake River    
Schedule Of Available For Sale Securities [Line Items]    
Loan issued by Snake River 250us-gaap_SecuredLongTermDebt
/ dei_LegalEntityAxis
= vhi_SnakeRiverMember
 
Snake River | Amalgamated Sugar Company LLC    
Schedule Of Available For Sale Securities [Line Items]    
Minimum amount annual distributions received from Amalgamated Sugar LLC will exceed Snake River loan interest payments $ 1.8vhi_AnnualDistributionsToExceedInterestPaymentMinimumAmount
/ dei_LegalEntityAxis
= vhi_SnakeRiverMember
/ us-gaap_RelatedPartyTransactionsByRelatedPartyAxis
= vhi_AmalgamatedSugarCompanyLlcMember