Hanoi (VNA) – Efforts to help residents affected by natural disasters recover and stabilise the lives were in focus at a seminar held in Hanoi on December 14 by the Vietnam Disaster and Dyke Management Authority (VDDMA) under the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment.
The event brought together representatives from the VDDMA, the National Centre for Hydro-Meteorological Forecasting, and the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) in Vietnam.
Speaking at the seminar, Nguyen Van Tien, Deputy Director of the VDDMA, noted extreme and abnormal weather patterns across all regions throughout the year. Unseasonal strong storms and historic floods caused heavy human and property losses. Despite challenges arising from the transition to a two-tier local administration model, timely and long-term measures directed by Party and State leaders helped minimise damage.
Tien said the central region was hardest hit, with 1,635 houses collapsed and more than 39,000 others seriously damaged. In response, the Prime Minister issued Official Dispatch No. 234/CD-TTg on November 30 launching the “Quang Trung Campaign” to rapidly repair and rebuild houses for affected families in central provinces from Ha Tinh to Lam Dong.
The campaign aims to mobilise armed forces, police, youth and women’s unions, veterans, businesses and the entire political system to complete repairs of severely damaged houses by December 31, and to finish rebuilding and resettlement for affected households by January 31, 2026.
The PM stressed the need to ensure people in disaster-hit areas have safe housing and stable lives before the Lunar New Year 2026.
For disaster prevention, the campaign is seen as a catalyst for faster and more sustainable recovery, extending beyond housing restoration to reinforcing essential infrastructure, enhancing community resilience, and strengthening public trust in the Party and Government.
Meanwhile, international partners have provided and pledged about 21.01 million USD in aid, including 9.75 million USD in cash and in-kind assistance through the VDDMA. Aid items ranged from clean water, water filters and household supplies to agricultural livelihood support, shelter repair materials and learning tools.
UNICEF has been a prominent partner, accompanying authorities in relief activities in northern mountainous areas and central Vietnam. On December 10, representatives of the VDDMA and Plan International Vietnam distributed cash and essential supplies to 230 households and 106 pregnant and disabled women in Da Nang’s Go Noi and Thuong Duc communes.
Looking ahead, Tien said priorities include reviewing and institutionalising Party guidelines into a comprehensive legal and policy framework on disaster prevention in 2026; upgrading technical standards for disaster-resilient infrastructure; adjusting reservoir operations to prioritise downstream flood mitigation; and accelerating digital transformation, innovation and the development of a national disaster management database.
UNICEF representative Ly Phat Viet Linh affirmed the organisation’s commitment to supporting disaster-affected communities, focusing on clean water, education supplies, cash assistance, child nutrition and mental health support.
Meanwhile, Dr. Hoang Phuc Lam, Deputy Director of the National Centre for Hydro-Meteorological Forecasting, noted that 2025 saw a record 21 storms and tropical depressions in the East Sea, alongside widespread historic floods across the country. He forecast storm activity at around the multi-year average in 2026, with risks of severe cold spells in the north early in the year and unseasonal rains in the Central Highlands and southern regions during the dry season./.
Rebuilding houses for households hit by floods a mandate from heart: PM
The PM reiterated the requirement to fully complete house repairs by December 31, 2025 and rebuild or resettle all households whose houses collapsed or were swept away before January 31, 2026.
