Global partners send US$9.5 million to aid northern Vietnam’s typhoon victims
Many embassies and international organizations have announced further support for flood-affected regions in Vietnam, which were struck by consecutive typhoons within a week in early October.
THE HANOI TIMES — International partners have pledged nearly US$9.5 million in relief for residents of northern Vietnam affected by recent typhoons Bualoi and Matmo, according to the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment.
The aid packages, contributed by foreign governments, embassies and international organizations, target localities severely impacted by floods and storm circulation over recent weeks.
Widespread flooding in Vietnam's northern province of Bac Ninh due to Typhoon Matmo's circulation. Photo: Bac Ninh Newspaper
Australia contributed more than US$1.93 million, followed by South Korea (US$1 million), the European Union (US$532,000), and the ASEAN Coordinating Center for Humanitarian Assistance (US$216,000).
Other key contributors include Samaritan’s Purse (US$280,000), UN Women (US$85,000), Habitat for Humanity Vietnam (US$76,000), World Vision (US$350,000), CARE International (US$150,000), CRS (US$100,000), Plan International (US$58,000), the Government of Canada (US$50,000), ActionAid Vietnam (US$29,300), and Save the Children (US$180,000), among others.
Most assistance comes in the form of cash, hygiene kits, house-repair materials, food and educational supplies, ensuring affected families can resume daily life as soon as possible.
Relief is being distributed across northern and north-central provinces, including Lao Cai, Lang Son, Cao Bang, Tuyen Quang, Thai Nguyen, Bac Ninh, Hanoi, Ninh Binh, Thanh Hoa, Nghe An and Ha Tinh.
Right after Typhoon Matmo passed Vietnam's mainland, the Department of Crop Production and Plant Protection under the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment sent a working group to assess the damage and guide recovery measures to resume agricultural production and promote winter crop cultivation in the northern provinces of Thai Nguyen and Bac Ninh.
Singapore delivers emergency aid to Tuyen Quang
The Vietnam Disaster and Dyke Management Authority on October 25 received an emergency aid shipment from the Singaporean Government to support people affected by recent storms and floods in the northern mountainous province of Tuyen Quang.
Jaya Ratnam, Singaporean Ambassador to Vietnam (left), delivers the relief shipment to Nguyen Van Tien, Deputy Director of the Vietnam Disaster and Dyke Management Authority at Noi Bai International Airport in Hanoi. Photo: Cong Thuong Newspaper
The relief package, including thermal blankets and personal hygiene kits, was provided by Singapore’s Ministry of Defense and relevant organizations via the Singapore Embassy in Vietnam and the Regional Humanitarian and Disaster Relief (HADR) Coordination Center (RHCC).
On October 27, the first consignments with all relief goods were transported to Tuyen Quang for distribution to support the essential needs of affected households, helping them recover and return to normal life.
Earlier, the Singapore Red Cross provided a relief package worth SGD50,000 ($38,500) to the Vietnam Red Cross Society to support emergency assistance in the northern and central provinces of Cao Bang, Thai Nguyen, Lang Son and Nghe An.
A report by the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment said that over the past two and a half months, Vietnam had endured five storms making landfall. The most recent two, Bualoi and Matmo, triggered historic flooding and widespread devastation.
In late September, Typhoon Bualoi devastated northern and central Vietnam, killing at least 51 people and causing an estimated VND16 trillion (US$606 million) in damages.
Meanwhile, widespread flooding triggered by torrential rains in the wake of Typhoon Matmo in early October has left 18 people dead or missing, inundated hundreds of thousands of homes and caused severe infrastructure damage in four northern provinces of Thai Nguyen, Cao Bang, Lang Son and Bac Ninh.
