A street in Thai Nguyen Province is covered with trash, debris, and thick mud after the floodwaters recede.
Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh on October 12 approved a relief package worth VND 2.524 trillion (approximately USD 102 million) for 15 localities severely affected by recent natural disasters, particularly typhoons Bualoi and Matmo.
Of this amount, an additional VND 400 billion (approximately USD 16.2 million) has been allocated to four northern provinces hardest hit by floods caused by storm Matmo’s aftermath. Thai Nguyen will receive VND 250 billion, while Cao Bang, Lang Son and Bac Ninh will each receive VND 50 billion.
Earlier, the Prime Minister had approved an emergency relief fund of VND 140 billion (approximately USD 5.7 million) for these four provinces to provide immediate assistance and support initial recovery efforts.
The Ministry of Finance has also decided to release 2,600 tonnes of rice along with essential equipment and supplies to Cao Bang and Lang Son to aid disaster prevention and search and rescue operations.
The historic floods have caused estimated losses of VND 5.45 trillion (approximately USD 206 million) in three provinces of Thai Nguyen, Cao Bang and Lang Son as of the afternoon of October 10.
A report by the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment on October 9 noted 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.
Since the start of the year, natural disasters have left 238 people dead or missing and 367 injured. More than 258,000 houses have been damaged or unroofed, while over 555,000 hectares of rice fields, crops and plantations have been flooded or destroyed.
Total economic losses nationwide are estimated at more than VND 33.5 trillion (approximately USD 1.36 billion).
