PM requests emergency in house rebuilding for flood-hit residents 

THE HANOI TIMES — Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh has reiterated the vigorous requirement to fully complete house repairs by December 31 and rebuild all houses collapsed or were swept away no later than January 31, 2026.

Presiding over a meeting in Hanoi on December 13 to review the campaign on housing reconstruction and repair in the wake of floods and storms happened in mid-November 16, Chinh urged the Ministry of National Defense to deploy engineering units for construction support and comprehensive risk assessments for long-term landslide prevention.

The prime minister requested the central province of Quang Tri to complete rebuilding collapsed houses for 12 families in recent natural disasters by late December, with weekly reports on the progress.

Over the past days, construction of nearly 1,600 houses have been completed in just 10 days and nearly 34,000 houses have been repaired.

Since early this year, as many as VND7.15 trillion (US$275 million) has been allocated from the central budget to aid disaster-hit localities across Vietnam.

Production restoration urged ahead of Tet

PM Chinh has also asked ministries and localities to urgently restore production and business activities to meet people’s needs during the upcoming Tet holiday, the largest festival in Vietnam.

Ministers and chairpersons of provincial People’s Committees and chief executives of state-owned groups are tasked with rolling out solutions to boost production and business activities, further develop the domestic market and stimulate consumer demand.

Priority should be given to implementing price stabilization programs during the year-end and Tet. Authorities are asked to effectively use price regulation tools in accordance with the law to stabilize the market, while strengthening inspections of food safety.

More international supports

Japan and Brazil on December 13 announced more support for Vietnam’s  recovery from flood damage.

Japan committed a $1.5 million emergency non-refundable assistance package to help address the aftermath of the disasters, according to Motegi Toshimitsu, Japanese Minister of Foreign Affair.

Motegi said the assistance reflects Japan’s commitment to countries affected by natural disasters. "The aid will be delivered to Vietnam via international organizations as soon as possible."

Specifically, $1 million will be used to provide essential relief supplies through the International Organization for Migration, while $500,000 will be channeled via the United Nations Children’s Fund to support clean water provision and environmental sanitation services in affected areas.

Besides, Brazil is moving to support Vietnam’s recovery efforts. JBS Group with extensive cooperation with Vietnamese partners, took the lead by donating $20,000 along with 1,000 sets of blankets, sheets and mattresses for flood-hit families.

The Brazilian Cooperation Agency expressed its willingness to share experience in disaster management, flood response and post-disaster reconstruction, areas in which Brazil has accumulated practical expertise in recent years.

Several Brazilian enterprises operating in logistics, agriculture and supply chain services are supporting transport costs and donations of relief goods to be sent to Vietnam.

Meanwhile, US Ambassador to Vietnam Marc E. Knapper and the World Vision International (WVI)’s leaders on December 12 visited the northern provinces of Lang Son and Cao Bang to meet families affected by recent typhoons and floods.

The activity is part of the US half-million-dollar project named Humanitarian Assistance Response in Northern Vietnam in 2025. It has been implemented by the WVI from October 2025 to April 2026.

Marc E. Knapper appreciated the work that the WVI has done in utilizing the US assistance funds to support flood-hit people. "I am proud that the US has contributed $1.75 million in assistance funds to aid in storm and flood recovery in Vietnam."

"This response demonstrates the immense value we place on our relationship with Vietnam and the importance of supporting our partners during challenging times," said the ambassador.

Under the project, over 3,000 households will receive essential supplies and cash assistance to improve their access to clean water and sanitation.

The project will keep mobilizing additional resources, strengthening collaboration with local authorities, enhancing disaster risk reduction efforts and maintaining emergency relief support in affected areas.