Floods

One afternoon in November, Nguyen Thi Diem, 32, and her husband took advantage of the sunny weather to fix the roof of a half-finished house in Ca No, a commune in Long An Province. They used a piece of canvas to cover a leak on the roof of the house for which the basic framework has been completed. Diem and her husband are from Ca Mau Province, the southernmost locality in the country. They came to Long An several years ago and currently earn a living by peeling the barks of trees for wood processing facilities. The homeless couple have taken shelter in an abandoned house that belongs to a flood-proof housing project. Other houses nearby are in the same condition, half-finished and abandoned. Across Ca No Commune, there are around 30 flood-resistant houses that are now used by locals to store things or as warehouses or poultry coops. Many of them have been damaged. Around 40km away, Tan Thanh Commune also has dozens of such houses that have not been put to their intended … [Read more...] about Flooding thwarted by dams, Mekong Delta flood-resistant houses stand unused for decades

The only road leading to a mountainous commune in the central province of Nghe An remains covered by soil and rocks a month after being hit by recent flash floods. The flash floods occurred in Ky Son District in early October, causing great losses. At present, traces of the flash flood remain on the 1.2-kilometre road to Tay Son Commune with dozens of landslide spots. A large amount of soil and rocks still remain scattered there. Big rocks have affected traffic on the road. A local resident said that people had to open small paths in many sections for motorbikes to travel through. Trees fell down on the road. Vice-chairman of Tay Son Commune said that some landslide spots on the road were very serious and beyond the locality’s ability to resolve. The commune has reported the problem to district authorities for support. Tay Son is among the poorest communes in Nghe An. The flash floods, triggered by torrential rain, in … [Read more...] about Mountainous road in Nghe An severely damaged after flash floods

From Friday night to Tuesday next week, central Vietnam regions would see rain levels between 100-300 mm due to cold air and high-altitude winds, the National Center for Hydro-Meteorological Forecasting said. From next Tuesday, rains would expand towards the north, coming to localities from Thanh Hoa to Ha Tinh, as well as the northeastern regions, including Hanoi. Central Highlands region and localities from Quang Tri to Binh Thuan may see floods from Saturday to Tuesday next week. The area is home to popular tourist towns Da Lat, Hue and Mui Ne. Rough seas are also expected in certain regions of the South China Sea. This year's winter would be warmer compared to previous years, with temperatures about 0.5-1 degrees Celsius higher. The first major cold episode (with temperatures below 15 degrees) might begin to make appearance in the latter half of December, while the coldest periods should be around January and the first half of February next year, the national forecast … [Read more...] about Heavy rains in central Vietnam pose flooding risks

The completion of a major flood control project worth VND10 trillion (US$402 million) in Ho Chi Minh City has been delayed to November 2023, according to the city chairman. Chairman of the municipal People’s Committee Phan Van Mai made a report about a number of major projects in the city that are currently behind schedule during a meeting with citizens in Go Vap District on Tuesday. The implementation of several important projects has been delayed, causing required capital to increase, chairman Mai said. Although municipal authorities want to complete the projects as soon as possible, they encountered legal procedures and many other problems that cannot be handled in the short term. Regarding the city’s VND10 trillion ($402 million) flood prevention project, about 90 percent of the work has been completed. However, some sluice gates are still not finished, thus the project is unable to prevent tidal flooding. The project also faced some legal problems, while the progress … [Read more...] about Completion of Ho Chi Minh City’s $402mn flood control project postponed until late 2023

At around 10 a.m., streets like Dinh Cong Trang, Le Ninh, Nguyen Thi Minh Khai, Nguyen Trai and Phan Dinh Cang were 30-50 cm underwater. Several vehicles tried to wade through the water, only for their engines to get shut down. On the sidewalks, waves crashed into nearby houses every time cars passed by. Traffic police forces were stationed at multiple locations to warn people not to enter severely flooded areas and to help people with damaged vehicles travel past flooded sections. "My house is over 2 km away from the office, but I was only able to go for a while when my motorbike broke down. I had to try to take it to an acquaintance's house, before getting to the office on foot," said Hang, who lives in Quan Bau Ward. Tang Van An, head of the hydro-meteorological forecasting department of the North Central Regional Hydro-Meteorological Center, said rain levels in Vinh between 7 p.m. Wednesday and 10 a.m. Thursday reached 255 mm. "This is an abnormal rain in Vinh, caused by … [Read more...] about 15-hour rains flood central Vietnam city

The authorities use ropes to rescue a man trapped at a flooded point in Ghenh Rang Ward, Quy Nhon City. (Photo: SGGP) Many people cannot go home because many streets are flooded deeply under the water. (Photo: SGGP) Many places in Ghenh Rang Ward are flooded from 1m to nearly 2m under the water. (Photo: SGGP) People take children to a higher place for safety. (Photo: SGGP) Some people use a cano to help others to a safe place. (Photo: SGGP) A man stuck at a flooded point in Han Mac Tu Street. (Photo: SGGP) The garage of a household is flooded. (Photo: SGGP) It is estimated that hundreds of houses are deeply flooded, many roads are completely isolated, people's property and vehicles are greatly damaged. (Photo: SGGP) Ghenh Rang Ward is mobilizing militias, police, border guards, the army, along with local people and young people to support the flooded houses. (Photo: SGGP) The situation of heavy flooding in Ghenh Rang … [Read more...] about Heavy rains inundate thousands of houses in Quy Nhon City

State President Nguyen Xuan Phuc is talking with voters Voter Nguyen Van Tu from Go Vap District mentioned suspended projects in HCMC, some of which have stopped for over 20 years. People living in these areas are not allowed to build or rebuild their accommodation, leading to inconveniences in daily activities. Many other major projects in the city are behind schedule and cost more money. Voter Le Quang Minh from District 10 informed that there are several damaged apartment buildings in the district (being constructed by 1975), yet no information on renovating or rebuilding them is issued. Answering the second problem, Vice Chairman of HCMC People’s Committee Ngo Minh Chau said that a task force has been established for the mission of renovating degraded apartment buildings in the city. The team will work with local authorities to assess these sites and identify corresponding compensations for residents there. By 2025, the city will have basically eliminated these decayed … [Read more...] about HCMC focusing all resources to address current socio-economic issues

There are more and more young people who want to leave the city behind and move to the countryside to live and work, which nowadays is considered by many to be more comfortable and peaceful. However, on the way to realizing this dream, many of them face a life that is not as rosy as they imagined with a variety of obstacles that challenge their dreams of living and working in the countryside. In 2017, Hoang Truong Quan, 30, a young man from Gia Lai Province in the Central Highlands, decided to spend an extended period of time in Da Lat City in Lam Dong Province. He came to this decision after traveling all over the country. Although he had a good job in Ho Chi Minh City at that time, Quan applied for his resignation and arranged everything for three months before moving to Da Lat to start a new chapter in his life. Returning to the city after two years With his business experience, Quan rented a house located deep in a valley about three kilometers from Da Lat market to … [Read more...] about In Vietnam, it is difficult to earn a living in the countryside

More than 30,000 delegates, including representatives from about 200 nations or territories, will gather on November 6-18 in the Egyptian town of Sharm el-Sheikh for COP27, in order to thrash out details on how to slow global warming and support those already feeling its impacts. Acute challenge for world to tackle climate crisis at COP27 Most mainstream analysis acknowledges that 2021’s COP26 in Scotland did not make enough progress to avoid the worst consequences of climate change. By the end of the decade, the world is expected to miss the Paris Agreement target to prevent the world’s average temperature from rising 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels. Scientists and UN officials have warned that exceeding that level will have catastrophic consequences, including devastating sea-level rise, longer and more intense heat waves, and widespread species loss. But with the world dealing with the fallout of the Russia-Ukraine conflict, along with soaring food and fuel prices … [Read more...] about Acute challenge for world to tackle climate crisis at COP27

Water science and technology on display at Vietnam Water Week 2022. (Photo: baochinhphu.vn) Hanoi (VNS/VNA) - Vietnam Water Week, a platform for experts, scientists and businesses in the water sector to exchange experiences and come up with long-term solutions to the adverse impacts of epidemics, natural disasters and climate change, opened on November 10 morning. Speaking at the opening ceremony, Mai Thi Lien Huong, Director of the Technical Infrastructure Department under the Ministry of Construction, said that just 15% of urban wastewater in Vietnam is treated. Huong said Vietnam has more than 750 clean water factories in urban and rural areas with a total capacity of 11.6 million cu.m per day. As many as 92% of urban residents can access clean water. However, she said there are only 71 concentrated wastewater treatment factories nationwide with a total designed capacity of about 1.38 million cu.m per day. Climate change, drought, natural disasters, and … [Read more...] about Vietnam Water Week seeks solutions for sustainable development