On November 24, the provincial Department of Home Affairs announced that the commendation was awarded to Tran Cong Thanh, a resident of Phu Huu Hamlet in Hoa Thinh Commune.

Thanh was honored for his exceptional bravery and spontaneous actions during the heavy flooding that occurred across the province from November 18 to 22.

Despite the dangerously strong currents, Thanh made a life-or-death decision to rescue his neighbors instead of securing his own property. Using his family's small wooden boat, he paddled through the surging waters, ferrying people to safety one by one.

As previously reported by VietNamNet, on November 19 and 20, sudden rising floodwaters in Phu Huu Hamlet forced residents to climb onto their rooftops and break through tiles to call for help.

In that desperate moment, Thanh had no time to save his own belongings. He launched his boat and began making trips to a nearby two-story house, where he brought stranded neighbors to safety.

According to Thanh, the situation was so urgent that he didn’t have time to think - he simply focused on rescuing people from rooftops and rowing them to safety, then going back for more.

From the night of November 19 to November 21, Thanh singlehandedly transported over 40 people to the two-story shelter.

Despite being terrified and tense throughout the process, especially with many elderly and young children involved, Thanh overcame his fears and pushed through the turbulent waters to ensure everyone’s survival.

Hai Duong