Every effort is made to give flood victims shelter and basic needs (Photo: VOV)

In Son La province, tropical storm Wipha added to heavy rains in late July and early August to cause flooding and landslides, leaving six people dead or missing and at least four others injured. 1,200 homes were damaged, a number of national and provincial roads were eroded, and 13 bridges were swept away. In addition, over 400 hectares of crops were affected, and some 3,000 livestock and poultry were lost. The total damage is estimated at 28 million USD.

In Dien Bien province, the prolonged heavy rains from late July to early August caused flash floods and landslides that killed 10 people and injured 7. Hundreds of homes were destroyed or swept away. National highways and inter-village roads were blocked by landslides, and many irrigation systems, schools, and government offices were damaged or submerged.

Tropical Storm Wipha and subsequent floods also devastated many areas in Nghe An province, where 4 people died, 4 were injured, and 7,500 homes were collapsed, buried, swept away, or heavily damaged.

While directing recovery efforts in the affected provinces, Party General Secretary To Lam asked local authorities to make sure all displaced residents have shelter and no one is left cold or hungry. He stressed the urgent need to build new homes for those who have lost their home. The armed forces and police were asked to coordinate with local authorities, businesses, and private donors to provide temporary housing, and to rebuild or repair schools in time for the new academic year.

During an inspection visit to Xa Dung commune, Dien Bien province, on Sunday, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh called on ministries and local authorities to work together to speed up recovery efforts. He said no one should be left without food, medicine, or clean water, or exposed to disease outbreaks.

The Prime Minister said: "First and foremost, we must take care of those who have passed away. These are irreparable losses. Second, we need to focus on treating the injured and helping them recover. Third, we must secure housing for affected families. Anyone without a home must be helped immediately. Local communes need to allocate land to build new houses."

Deputy Prime Minister Ho Duc Phoc visited highland communities in Nghe An on Sunday to oversee recovery operations. In My Ly commune, one of the hardest-hit areas, he urged authorities to quickly restore production. He emphasized the need to rebuild essential infrastructure such as roads, electricity, clean water systems, schools, and clinics.

Last Saturday, the government approved 4 million USD in emergency relief funds for Nghe An, 4 million USD for Dien Bien, and 2 million USD for Sơn La.