As severe drought continues to affect the central region, the Viet Nam Red Cross will provide urgent aid for 900 poor and near-poor households.

The beneficiaries in Ninh Thuan, Khanh Hoa, Dak Lak and Phu Yen provinces are ethnic minority people with a shortage of water containers.

The aid package consists of 900 plastic water tubs with a capacity of 300 litres and 2,700 Aquatabs - water purification tabs - worth more than VND1.1 billion (US$53,000).

Besides this direct assistance, the Viet Nam Red Cross has also called for enterprises, organisations and kind-hearted individuals to cooperate in providing aid to the drought-hit people in the central region.

Initially, Petrovietnam's Thai Binh Oil and Gas Petroleum Joint Stock Company provided 1,000 water jars to people in Ninh Thuan Province.

Vietnam Railways has also committed to transporting all these goods free of charge to the recipients as soon as possible.

VNS