Society

Blaze takes heavy toll on Vietnamese market in Australia

Fire broke out at the Little Saigon Market of Vietnamese expats in Footscray, west Melbourne, Australia, on early December 13, leaving no casualty but damaging assets valued at about 12 million AUD.
Blaze takes heavy toll on Vietnamese market in Australia ảnh 1Illustrative image (Source: VNA)

Canberra (VNA) – Fire broke out at the Little Saigon Market of Vietnameseexpats in Footscray, west Melbourne, Australia, on early December 13, leavingno casualty but damaging assets valued at about 12 million AUD.

The firewas supposed to start from a cool room in the two-storey building, but the exactcause remains unknown.

Seventy-fivefirefighters were deployed to the scene.

The blazewas put under control at noon after destroying most of the market. The officeof Les Twentyman Foundation, a charity for disadvantaged youths, was burned tothe ground with over 6,000 books, clothes and Christmas gifts for homelesschildren inside.

The markethosted 25 small businesses run by Vietnamese expatriates and was among the mostpopular shopping places for the community in Melbourne. There are approximately100,000 Vietnamese living in the capital city of Victoria State.

Accordingto Tran Ba Phuc, head of the Vietnamese business association in Melbourne, twoowners of the Little Saigon Market will have their rebuilding costs fully coveredby insurance.

However, manyshop owners had stocked a large amount of goods for the upcoming holidayseason, but only have insurance for a small part of their business. Theirsources of livelihood have been destroyed with the flame.

Theassociation is helping them with legal consultation to receive insurancepayments as soon as possible.-VNA
VNA
#fire #blaze #Little Saigon Market #Vietnamese expats in Australia Australia
Follow VietnamPlus

Related News

Vietnamese market in Laos on fire

Vietnamese market in Laos on fire

A big fire occurred at a section in the Pakse Dao Huong market, a Vietnamese trade centre in Pakse in the Lao province of Champasak, on early May 17.

See more

St Petersburg Governor Alexander Beglov (left) presents the badge to Dr Nguyen Quoc Hung, Vice President of the Union of Vietnamese Organisations in Russia and Director of the “Tradition and Friendship” Fund (Photo: VNA)

Vietnamese individual honoured for contributions to St Petersburg

The badge is a personal reward but also reflects the St Petersburg Committee for External Relations and the city administration's appreciation of the efforts by the “Tradition and Friendship” Fund of the Vietnamese community in Russia in fostering people-to-people diplomacy as well as mutually beneficial cooperation between St Petersburg and Vietnamese localities.

The Ho Chi Minh City delegation presents assistance to low-income households in Phu Xuan ward of Hue city. (Photo: VNA)

HCM City provides 800,000 USD to help Hue recover from floods

Vice Chairman of the Hue municipal People's Committee Nguyen Chi Tai thanked Ho Chi Minh City for its timely support and pledged to allocate the funds efficiently and transparently to families most affected by the disaster. He expressed his hope that the strong bond between the two cities would continue to grow, spreading the values of solidarity and mutual support for sustainable development.

VASEA President Professor Nghiem Duc Long (second, left) presents a token donation for flood-affected compatriots to Nguyen Thanh Tung, Vietnamese Consul General in Sydney. (Photo: VNA)

Vietnamese community in Australia supports flood victims back home

The charity, registered with the Australian Charities and Not-for-profits Commission (ACNC), launched the campaign after Vietnam was struck by two severe typhoons, Bualoi and Matmo, in late September 2025, causing widespread damage across northern and central provinces.

PM Pham Minh Chinh speaks at the meeting (Photo: VNA)

PM demands tighter rules for social housing push

Social housing projects require full infrastructure, from roads, utilities and telecom systems, to clinics, schools and recreation facilities, while equal access must extend nationwide, said PM Pham Minh Chinh.

Vinh Long currently has 4,628 registered fishing vessels, 4,450 of which are licenced for fishing, accounting for 96.2%. (Illustrative image: VNA)

Vinh Long promotes fishermen’s compliance with IUU rules

Vinh Long currently has 4,628 registered fishing vessels, 4,450 of which are licenced for fishing, accounting for 96.2%. Since early this year, no local vessels have violated foreign waters or been detained by foreign authorities.

National flags and life jackets are presented to fishermen. (Photo: VNA)

Coast Guard Region 3 intensifies patrols to combat IUU fishing

After ten days of implementing a peak campaign against IUU fishing from October 29 to November 8, patrol and inspection forces of Coast Guard Region 3, in coordination with Border Guard Squadron 18, detected and fined 54 fishing vessels, collecting more than 580 million VND (about 22,000 USD) in fines.

The Lam Dong Red Cross, in coordination with sponsors, delivered 540 essential relief packages to residents severely affected by floods in Ham Thanh commune, Lam Dong province. (Photo: VNA)

Vietnam Red Cross launches emergency aid for storm-hit provinces

The Vietnam Red Cross Society has decided to allocate over 3.3 billion VND (125,472 USD) in cash and goods to assist Dak Lak, Gia Lai, and Quang Ngai provinces, with the funding from its H2025 relief account at Vietcombank and from the “Clean Water for Communities” project, sponsored by Procter & Gamble (P&G) through Americares.

Border guards of Vietnam and China disseminate border-related legal regulations to traders at Tan Thanh market in Lang Son province of Vietnam. (Photo: VNA)

Vietnamese, Chinese border guards coordinate to promote legal awareness among residents

During the four-day programme, thousands of leaflets were distributed, covering topics such as border management agreements and protocols, the agreement on regulations for management of the Vietnam–China land border, immigration and customs laws, border gate management, and measures to combat smuggling and trade fraud, as well as the importance of safeguarding national sovereignty and border security.