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Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh visits Thai Nguyen to assess damage and lead relief efforts. Photo: VGP

On the afternoon of October 8, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh visited Thai Nguyen province to inspect the situation on the ground, offer support to affected residents, and direct ongoing flood rescue and relief operations. Accompanying him was Minister of Defense Phan Van Giang.

The province has been battered by heavy to torrential rainfall, causing devastating floods that have severely impacted lives, property, infrastructure, and local production.

Preliminary statistics show 4 people dead, 2 missing, 2 injured, and 5,450 homes damaged. Landslides and flooding have isolated many areas, and numerous roads have been cut off.

At Phan Dinh Phung ward, the Prime Minister conveyed condolences to families who lost loved ones and expressed solidarity with communities facing hardship due to the natural disaster.

He affirmed that the Party and State deeply understand and empathize with the suffering of people in disaster-affected regions and have issued urgent directives to rapidly address the aftermath of the storm and flooding.

The Prime Minister urged all ministries and local authorities to strictly implement directives from General Secretary To Lam, the Standing Secretariat, and the Prime Minister’s emergency dispatches, to restore normalcy for residents as quickly as possible.

He emphasized the need to deploy emergency measures according to current flood alert levels, including reviewing and evacuating communities in deeply inundated areas or at risk of landslides, flash floods, or mudslides.

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Deputy Prime Minister Nguyen Hoa Binh inspects a major landslide site in Bac Ninh. Photo: VGP

Special attention was requested for the elderly, children, and other vulnerable groups, ensuring their evacuation to safe zones.

He reiterated that protecting human lives must come first, calling for the mobilization of maximum manpower, vehicles, and supplies to reinforce embankments, safeguard reservoirs, and promptly resolve any emergencies in the earliest stages.

The Prime Minister also encouraged citizens to unite, support one another, and overcome this difficult time together, aiming to stabilize their lives as soon as possible.

Looking ahead, the government will direct relevant ministries and agencies to invest in upgrading flood control infrastructure, including strengthening embankments along the Cau River, to better protect lives and property in future disasters.

Also today, the Prime Minister approved emergency funding of 140 billion VND (approximately 5.7 million USD) from the 2025 national contingency budget for four severely affected provinces: Thai Nguyen, Bac Ninh, Lang Son, and Cao Bang.

Thai Nguyen will receive 50 billion VND, while the other three provinces will each receive 30 billion VND.

The Prime Minister instructed local governments to manage and use these funds responsibly, ensuring they are used for the right purposes, transparently, and without corruption or misuse, with full reporting required.

On the same day, Deputy Prime Minister Nguyen Hoa Binh inspected a breach in a dike in Bac Ninh province and oversaw emergency repair efforts.

At 2:00 AM, a section of dike in Tien Luc commune gave way. Authorities swiftly completed temporary repairs and reported that no lives were lost.

Overnight and into the early morning, flood response teams evacuated residents from 10 villages to safe locations.

According to a rapid report from Bac Ninh Provincial People's Committee, the region experienced heavy to torrential rainfall from the night of October 6 to late October 7.

Water levels on the Cau and Thuong Rivers are rising. Over the next 12 to 24 hours, the Thuong River at Cau Son station is forecast to exceed historic flood levels by 0.58 meters, and Phu Lang Thuong station by 0.23 meters, potentially submerging wide areas.

Initial statistics indicate that 3 people have died (2 from drowning, 1 from lightning), 402 homes damaged, and nearly 3,000 hectares of farmland flooded.

Tran Thuong