a993a21ba4524d0c1443.jpg.avif

A Thai Nguyen resident pleads on social media for rescue teams to help stranded relatives.

From the night of October 7 into the morning of October 8, hundreds of urgent messages were posted in social media groups, pleading for help in locating and rescuing loved ones trapped by the severe flooding in Thai Nguyen.

One social media user, An Nhu, posted: “My parents’ house has a 97-year-old elder and parents in their 80s. The water level is dangerously high, there is no food, and the water keeps rising. We urgently need rescue or assistance to get them to a safe place. Address: Ap Thai Hamlet, Dong Hy Commune, Thai Nguyen (near Thai Nguyen Lake Urban Area). Phone: 0948151661. Please help urgently. Thank you.”

Vo Xuan Loc also posted a plea: “Urgent rescue needed. Currently, the area opposite Linh Son Kindergarten, Hung Vuong Hamlet, Linh Son Ward, Thai Nguyen is completely cut off due to rapidly rising and fast-flowing floodwaters. We urgently need rescue teams to reach this area. The entire hamlet is trapped in fast-moving waters and unable to evacuate. The emergency lines are overwhelmed and unreachable.”

Do Thu Trang, a resident of Na Tranh Hamlet in Nam Hoa Commune, Thai Nguyen, said the floodwaters rose so quickly that her entire house was submerged.

“The water came up too fast. We couldn’t evacuate or move our belongings. We lost almost everything,” she said.

Since this morning, the rising water has isolated roads in and out of the area. Many households remain trapped, including bedridden elderly and small children.

“The water is over a person’s head. I had to climb to the highest spot to get a signal and go online to call for help,” Trang shared anxiously.

Six dead and missing amid floods

625392842834763335.jpg
Vo Xuan Loc’s online post calling for emergency rescue in flood-isolated Linh Son area.

As the aftermath of storm Matmo brought complex flood conditions, the Thai Nguyen Provincial Party Committee held an emergency meeting on the evening of October 7 to assess the situation and direct response efforts.

During the meeting, Nguyen Thi Loan, Vice Chair of the Provincial People's Committee, reported that despite early preparations, the heavy rainfall and rapid water rise had caused significant damage.

Initial figures show three people confirmed dead, three missing, and several injured. Many areas are isolated, posing challenges for rescue and relief operations.

Dinh Quang Tuyen, Deputy Party Secretary and Chair of the Vietnam Fatherland Front Committee of Thai Nguyen, said that following the storm's landfall, local authorities immediately mobilized maximum on-site resources in coordination with military, police, and civil defense forces to support residents.

In the Cha dike area, authorities evacuated 67 households living outside the dike to safety and deployed personnel to monitor water levels around the clock. Of the province’s 38 roadways, 10 have been cut off or isolated. The transportation and construction sectors are working urgently to deploy machinery and temporarily reopen routes.

Thai Nguyen Provincial People's Committee Chairman Pham Hoang Son stressed: “Water levels in many areas have exceeded level 3 warning thresholds. The flood situation remains unpredictable. We must not be complacent. Armed forces must maintain the highest alert and be ready to respond to any scenario.”

He also urged local authorities to implement the “four-on-the-spot” principle: on-the-spot command, forces, vehicles, and logistics, with a focus on ensuring food, drinking water, medicine, and essential supplies for residents in isolated areas.

Son emphasized strict compliance with public service discipline. Communal leaders must stay on the ground, closely monitor flood developments, and report and implement response plans in a timely manner.

The provincial government has requested support from Military Region 1 to assist with post-flood decontamination, disinfection, and environmental sanitation to prevent disease outbreaks.

Bao Khanh