Vietnam has decided to provide emergency humanitarian assistance worth US$300,000 to help the Venezuelan government and people recover from the devastating earthquake.
Vietnam's search and rescue team carries a victim from the rubble. Photo: QDND
In response to the extensive loss of life and property caused by the twin earthquakes in Venezuela, and based on the long-standing friendship and solidarity between the peoples of Vietnam and Venezuela, the Communist Party of Vietnam, the Vietnamese State and the Vietnamese people have decided to provide emergency humanitarian assistance of US$300,000 to support post-disaster recovery efforts.
Vietnam's search and rescue team, comprising personnel from the military and the public security forces, is continuing its mission in Venezuela to assist with the search for victims and disaster recovery operations.
The mission in Venezuela has been described as the most difficult and dangerous overseas humanitarian and disaster relief operation ever undertaken by Vietnam's search and rescue forces.
Major General Pham Van Ty, Deputy Director of the Search and Rescue Department under the General Staff of the Vietnam People's Army, previously led Vietnamese rescue missions following the earthquakes in Turkey in 2023 and Myanmar in 2025.
Speaking from Playa Grande in La Guaira State - the area hardest hit by Venezuela's twin earthquakes - Major General Pham Van Ty said conditions differ significantly from one country to another. While rescue teams in Turkey had to cope with freezing temperatures, operations in Myanmar and Venezuela have been carried out under extreme heat.
He noted that Venezuela's deadliest earthquake disaster in more than a century claimed thousands of lives. The intense heat has accelerated the decomposition of many victims trapped beneath collapsed buildings, making rescue operations even more challenging.
"At the disaster site, the air is thick with the smell of decomposing bodies. At times, our team members wore as many as three face masks and applied medicated oil, yet once they entered collapsed structures, they could only remain inside for about 10 to 15 minutes before having to rotate out," Major General Pham Van Ty said.
Major General Pham Van Ty, Deputy Director of the Search and Rescue Department and head of the Vietnamese mission. Photo: QDND
According to Major General Pham Van Ty, the harsh conditions have also provided valuable lessons for future international rescue missions. Psychological preparedness is essential, he said, adding that rescuers must approach every search as though they are looking for members of their own family in order to endure the demanding conditions and the physical and emotional toll of the work.
In recent days, the Vietnamese team has continued racing against time in an effort to locate as many victims as possible.
Given the large number of collapsed high-rise buildings, the extreme weather and continuing aftershocks, Major General Pham Van Ty said the mission in Venezuela has been "the most difficult and dangerous" compared with previous deployments in Turkey and Myanmar.
At every search location assigned to the Vietnamese team, international rescue teams had already assessed the sites and found them extremely difficult to operate in.
"However, driven by our responsibility to fulfill Vietnam's international commitments and, above all, by the friendship between Vietnam and Venezuela, our team has not hesitated in the face of danger or hardship," he said.
Echoing those remarks, Colonel Pham Hung Duong, Deputy Director of the Fire Prevention, Firefighting and Rescue Police Department under the Ministry of Public Security and deputy head of the Vietnamese mission, said the team had also benefited from several advantages despite the challenges.
These included the strong sense of responsibility demonstrated by all personnel, experience gained from previous overseas humanitarian and disaster relief operations, close coordination between the military and public security forces, and strong support from the Venezuelan authorities.
Vietnamnet.vn
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