Hanoi (VNA) – Vietnamese Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh on May 17 sent a message of sympathy to Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva after learning that heavy rains have occurred in recent days, causing serious floods and huge losses of human and property in the state of Rio Grande do Sul.
Reuters cited state officials as reporting that the floods have devastated dozens of towns inland from Porto Alegre, where the downtown area remains under water. In the whole state, the death toll was at 149, while 108 were still missing.
Some 250,000 addresses are still without power and more than 136,000 people have lost access to water./.
President Ho Chi Minh lays foundation for Vietnam-Brazil relationship: Brazilian official
The Vietnam-Brazil friendship and cooperative ties began in the early 20th century when President Ho Chi Minh set his foot in Rio de Janeiro in 1912 in his journey to seek the way to salvage the nation, according to a Brazilian official.