Dantri organised a ground-breaking ceremony on December 5 in Viet Hong Commune, Lao Cai Province, to build two houses for families affected by storm Bualoi. The total support amounted to VND 200 million (USD 7,575).
At the ceremony
At the event, journalist Nguyen Xuan Toan, deputy editor-in-chief of Dantri, expressed gratitude to readers and philanthropists who contributed, and also thanked local authorities for facilitating the project. He said he hoped the sturdier homes would help the two families stabilise and gradually recover, and perhaps one day extend help to others in need.
Dantri's Deputy Editor-in-Chief Nguyen Xuan Toan speaks at the ceremony.
The assistance targets two of the hardest-hit households: the family of Ha Thi Khang, whose husband died during the storm-triggered flash flood, and the family of Ha Thi Hong, which also faces severe hardship.
Thanks to the support, Ha Thi Khang plans to build a new 90-square-metre home with three bedrooms. Her previous house, built with a bank loan of VND 50 million, was severely damaged beyond repair, and the loan remains unpaid.
Also present, Hoang Manh Ha, secretary of the party committee of Viet Hong Commune, praised the solidarity shown by Dantri’s readers and benefactors nationwide. He noted that though the storm had passed, its consequences, collapsed houses, displaced households and threats of landslides or flash floods, continued to seriously affect the community’s livelihoods. Across the commune, two houses collapsed, 55 households were evacuated urgently, and 315 households living in areas at risk of landslide or flooding had to be relocated temporarily.
On this occasion, on behalf of readers, Dantri also awarded 20 scholarships, each worth VND 500,000, to 20 children from disadvantaged families affected by storm Bualoi.
