All 34,700 damaged homes in central Vietnam restored ahead of Tet

THE HANOI TIMES — All 34,700 damaged houses in central Vietnam have been repaired, helping stabilize living conditions for disaster-hit residents ahead of the Lunar New Year.

Lieutenant General Nguyen Van Gau, Deputy Minister of National Defense, disclosed the figures at a review meeting chaired by Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh on January 7, which called for faster and more coordinated efforts to complete the Quang Trung Campaign.

Alongside repairs, the Quang Trung Campaign has also delivered strong progress in new housing construction, with 1,046 out of 1,597 houses completed, equivalent to 65.5%. Construction has begun on all remaining units, with progress ranging from 60% to 80%.

The results were achieved in just over a month thanks to the coordinated mobilization of the military, police and major economic groups, including telecommunications and electricity corporations. The campaign carries significant socio-political importance as it strengthens social stability ahead of the 14th National Party Congress and the upcoming Tet holiday.

At the conference, leaders of corporations and businesses reported that essential infrastructure, including electricity, clean water and telecommunications, has been fully restored. There are also no major obstacles related to funding, manpower, or construction materials in carrying out the campaign.

Most provinces and cities are committed to finishing all rebuilding work before or on January 15. A small number of families in the provinces of Lam Dong and Dak Lak have opted for larger-scale houses, which may take more time, but they still pledged to complete well ahead of Tet in mid-February.

At the meeting, Prime Minister Chinh kept urging all forces to press ahead and complete the rebuilding of destroyed houses by January 15, as a practical achievement to celebrate the 14th National Party Congress later this month.

Chinh once again requested localities to keep restoring infrastructure, environmental sanitation and transport, while carefully reviewing residents’ essential needs to raise support so that residents can fully follow the 14th National Party Congress and enjoy a warm Tet.

The prime minister also proposed financial assistance of VND5 million (US$190) for each of the 34,759 households with repaired houses and VND10 million ($380) each for nearly 5,000 families nationwide whose homes collapsed or were swept away, to help them buy essential items. He emphasized transparency and strict supervision to prevent wastefulness or misconduct.

Concluding the meeting, Chinh reiterated the target that by January 15, no affected citizen should be left without shelter, urged the entire local political system to mobilize maximum resources, especially the armed forces and socio-political organisations, to work with the highest sense of urgency.

The Government leader praised ministries and localities, particularly their leaders, for their proactive and effective implementation of the campaign. He expressed satisfaction that all households with repaired homes have already stabilized their daily lives.