Quang Ninh provincial authorities reported that 1,000 oyster cages and rafts have been lost or swept away; and 336 hectares of rice have been flooded and damaged. Many multi-storey buildings, offices and schools in the localities have been damaged. As many as 2,083 houses have had their roofs blown off; 6 water transport vehicles, 1 tourist boat, and 18 fishing boats of various types have sunk or drifted away.

In Hai Phong City, 5,000 hectares of rice have been damaged, 1,750 hectares of vegetables and crops have been severely affected, 1,000 hectares of fruit trees have been hit, and 400 hectares of flowers and ornamental plants have been impacted. The damage is serious and figures about damage and losses are still being updated.

Nam Dinh was one of the localities hit directly by the storm. Tran Anh Dung, deputy chair of the provincial People’s Committee, reported that the storm has hurt 5,000 hectares of rice, 230 hectares of crops, 130 hectares of summer-autumn maize, 20 hectares of catfish farming, and 20 hectares of intensive farming shrimp area, and damaged thousands of trees.

According to Giao Thuy district People’s Committee, 200 hectares of aquaculture area have been flooded, and 58 hectares of crops have been inundated, while the figure about flooded rice farming areas is still being updated.

In Hai Duong province, 10,000 hectares of rice fields have fallen, 1,600 hectares of crops have been damaged and 600 hectares of fruit trees have collapsed. The initial loss is estimated at VND150 billion.

The storm has also caused serious damage to the agriculture sector in Thai Binh. The preliminary report showed that 28,000 hectares of rice have been damaged by 30-70 percent and 27,000 hectares by more than 70 percent. About 585 hectares of crops and summer-autumn vegetables have been damaged by 30-70 percent, and 2,760 hectares by more than 70 percent. The figures are 1,215 and 170 hectares for fruit trees.

 Meanwhile, dykes have broken and landslides have occurred in many places. 

The provincial authorities have estimated a loss of VND2 trillion.

Because of the storm, many farmers and farming households have suffered big losses and cannot pay bank debts on schedule. 

Local newspapers reported that about 12,000 borrowers in Quang Ninh and Hai Phong, the two hardest hit provinces, have reported serious losses and need urgent support.

Ngo Thi Thuy, who raises fish in cages in Quang Ninh, said that all of her 600 cages of fish in Cam Pha have been destroyed by the storm, with no trace left. Her family still has about 20 cages of fish in Quang Yen district, but she doesn’t know if the fish are still alive, because the area is still inundated.

Thuy is a large-scale farmer, with investment in fish cages worth VND12 billion. 

“I got a bank loan worth VND4 billion and I have paid VND500 million. But as the fish ponds have been seriously damaged, I am afraid I don’t have money to pay bank debts and to reorganize production,” Thuy said.

She hoped that banks would continue to provide loans to her, so that she can revive cages and facilities to continue raising fish, so as to get money to pay bank debts.

Nguyen Duc Hien, director of Quang Ninh branch of the State Bank of Vietnam (SBV), said as of September 10, as many as 11,058 clients in Quang Ninh with the total outstanding loans of VND10.65 trillion have been seriously affected by Yagi, which accounts for 5.6 percent of the outstanding loans in the province.

In Hai Phong, 890 bank clients, with total outstanding loans of VND15.686 trillion, have been confirmed as suffering from the storm.

State Bank of Vietnam has requested credit institutions, foreign bank branches and SBV branches in seriously hit provinces to immediately apply measures to support clients suffering losses because of Yagi.

At the working session between SBV Deputy Governor Dao Minh Tu and leaders of SBV branches in Quang Ninh and Hai Phong on September 11, commercial banks said they were applying many measures to support clients hit by the storm.

VietinBank’s deputy CEO Le Duy Hai reported that about 195 business clients with total outstanding loans of VND18 trillion have been affected by the storm.

A preliminary report showed losses incurred by Quang Ninh’s farmers as follows: 1/ 6,280 clients with outstanding loans of VND1.463 trillion in agriculture, forestry and seafood sector 2/ 533 clients (VND5.243 trillion) in industry and construction 3/ 4,255 clients in trade and service (VND3.948 trillion).

Tuan Nguyen