On the afternoon of October 8, Acting Minister of Agriculture and Environment Tran Duc Thang reported that Vietnam had endured five storms from September to early October. Among them, storms No. 9 (Ragasa), No. 10 (Bualoi), and No. 11 (Matmo) inflicted severe damage across the northern and central regions.

As of October 8, preliminary statistics showed that storms No. 10 and 11 resulted in more than 80 people dead or missing, 195,600 houses either collapsed, unroofed, or severely damaged, and 87,000 hectares of rice and other crops inundated or destroyed.

Numerous roads, schools, healthcare centers, and public infrastructure were also devastated. The total estimated economic loss runs into tens of trillions of Vietnamese dong - equivalent to several billion US dollars.

“The storm and flood impacts are immense. People in the affected areas are facing extreme hardship. Many households urgently need support to restore their lives,” said Acting Minister Tran Duc Thang.

On the same day, the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment launched a fundraising campaign to aid communities affected by Typhoon No. 10.

Minister Thang directed specialized units to strengthen coordination, improve forecasting accuracy, and provide timely updates on tropical depressions, storms, and floods to authorities and the public. He also called for rigorous inspections of irrigation works, dikes, embankments, and reservoirs at risk, and the early formulation of response plans to minimize human and economic losses.

Production units have been instructed to work closely with localities in post-disaster recovery, support reconstruction of livelihoods, and develop sustainable production plans tailored to each region’s conditions, aligned with climate change adaptation goals.

On the same day, Deputy Minister Nguyen Hoang Hiep signed decisions to accept emergency aid from the international NGO Samaritan’s Purse for three storm-hit provinces: Ha Tinh, Tuyen Quang, and Lang Son.

These relief packages aim to help residents recover from the devastation caused by Typhoon No. 10 and early October’s floods.

According to the decision:

Ha Tinh will receive essential household items, kitchen utensils, personal hygiene products, and food supplies for 1,500 families.

Tuyen Quang will receive a similar package for 800 households.

Lang Son will receive 4,000 boxes of instant noodles, 4,000 boxes of Lavie bottled water, and 4,000 canned sausages for urgent distribution to residents of Huu Lung and That Khe communes.

Local governments are responsible for receiving, transporting, and distributing the aid transparently and to the right beneficiaries. They must report back to the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment by December 30.

Vu Diep