Immediately after receiving information about the severe damage caused by floods in Son La and Dien Bien provinces, the Vietnam National Petroleum Group ( Petrovietnam ) established a working group led by Mr. Do Chi Thanh - Deputy General Director of the Group - to visit, encourage, and support the people in the flood-affected areas.
People are suffering due to heavy rains, floods, and landslides.From July 22-24, due to the influence of the tropical convergence zone connected to the weakened low-pressure area from Typhoon No. 2, Son La province experienced heavy to very heavy rainfall with total rainfall generally ranging from 40-200 mm. Some areas received exceptionally heavy rainfall, such as Son La city with 229.4 mm, Chieng Ngam commune, Thuan Chau district with 206.4 mm, Chieng Noi commune, Mai Son district with 205.3 mm, and Nam Ty commune, Song Ma district with 199.6 mm. The prolonged heavy rain caused significant flooding and damage, greatly impacting the lives of the local people.
Mr. Do Chi Thanh, Deputy General Director of Petrovietnam, presents assistance to help Son La province overcome the consequences of natural disasters.
According to Giang Thi Huong, Vice Chairman of the Vietnam Fatherland Front Committee of Son La province, since the night of July 23rd, Son La province has suffered the heaviest rainfall in the past 30 years. As of August 1st, the floods have cut off and isolated many residential areas; resulted in 11 deaths and missing persons, and many injuries; damaged 2,531 houses, including 113 completely destroyed and 231 requiring emergency relocation; flooded thousands of hectares of rice and crops; killed or swept away thousands of livestock and poultry; and severely damaged many vital transportation routes, schools, health stations, irrigation works, electricity and water systems, and communication networks. The estimated total damage exceeds 500 billion VND.
Residents of Tong Co commune, Thuan Chau district, Son La province have been severely affected by floods. Photo: Son La Newspaper.
The people of Tong Co commune, Thuan Chau district, were most severely affected by the recent floods in Son La province. According to Lo Minh Hue, Chairman of the Tong Co Commune People's Committee, despite proactive measures to respond to the disaster, the floods arrived so quickly that people didn't have time to protect their property. In Phe village alone, floodwaters rose to 10 meters, completely submerging nearly 40 houses. Rice paddies and other crops were also submerged, severely impacting 160 households in Phe village.
Speaking to reporters, Ms. Luong Thi Hong from Phe village, Tong Co commune, sadly recounted: “The flood came so quickly, no one had time to react. At that time, the whole village was scrambling to help each other escape the disaster; no one dared to think about their belongings. My family has four people, my husband and I and our two children. My husband wasn't home when the flood hit, so I was the only one taking care of the two children, and I was very scared. Now, our house is completely flooded, almost all our belongings are damaged, and our crops and plants have been swept away by the floodwaters. Now I don't know how difficult life will become.”
The people of Linh village, Muong Pon commune, worked together to redirect the water flow so that it wouldn't flood their homes.
During the recent floods, not only Son La province but also Dien Bien province suffered severe consequences. From July 23rd to July 31st, flash floods and landslides in the province resulted in 6 deaths, 3 missing persons, and 7 injuries. The floods also buried nearly 200 hectares of rice, corn, and pine forests, with many areas beyond recovery. In addition, 12 irrigation works, 8 water supply facilities, 2 health stations, and 7 schools were damaged. The total estimated damage is approximately 383.5 billion VND.
The road system in Muong Pon commune has been severely damaged.
As the locality most severely affected by the floods, the Chairman of the People's Committee of Dien Bien District (Dien Bien Province), Nguyen Thai Binh, stated that at approximately 2:00 AM on July 25th, a flash flood and landslide in the district claimed 4 lives, with 3 people still missing and 7 injured. In addition, 325 houses were damaged, including 21 that collapsed or were swept away, and 21 that suffered very heavy damage (50-70%). “The flash flood occurred during the night, causing severe damage to the people of four villages: Tin Toc, Linh, Muong Pon 1, and Muong Pon 2. The flash flood also claimed the lives of 4 people, making our grief even more agonizing,” the Chairman of the People's Committee of Dien Bien District shared.
The delegation conducted a field trip to Linh village, Muong Pon commune, Dien Bien district.
Recalling the terrifying moment with a heavy heart, Mr. Lo Van Tan, from Muong Pon commune, Dien Bien district, recounted: “While everyone was asleep, the flood came rushing in, sweeping away trees, houses, and even cattle. Everyone panicked and ran for their lives. I only managed to save my two children; all my possessions were lost. My house was swept away, and now I have to stay with neighbors for a few days at each house. The clothes I'm wearing are borrowed from neighbors. After experiencing this horrific flash flood, I realize how lucky my family and I are. Flash floods not only take away our possessions but also our relatives and neighbors; those are irreplaceable losses,” Mr. Tan said, his voice choked with emotion.
The work to mitigate the consequences of the floods is being carried out very urgently.
Comrade Do Chi Thanh - Deputy General Director of Petrovietnam, visited, offered condolences, and encouraged the families who lost loved ones due to flash floods.
Unlike Mr. Tan, the devastating flash flood claimed the lives of many people in Muong Pon commune, causing immense grief to many families. One of the most heartbroken is Ms. Ca Thi Oanh, whose house was destroyed by the flood, and who lost her husband and six-month-old daughter, who is still missing. Having lost her home, she had to return to her mother's house and set up a temporary altar for her husband and child.
Also suffering the pain of losing his home and loved ones, Mr. Ca Van Luyen had to stay at the community center and set up a temporary altar to commemorate his unfortunate wife and son...
Petrovietnam shares the difficulties and losses with the people in the flood-affected areas.Immediately after receiving news of the heavy losses of life and property caused by floods in Son La and Dien Bien provinces, Petrovietnam quickly formed a task force to go to the affected areas to share the difficulties and support the people in stabilizing their lives as soon as possible.
Despite the heavy rain and the potential for difficulties and even dangers during the journey to reach the flood-affected areas, understanding the hardships of the people severely impacted by the floods and with the solidarity of the oil and gas industry, the Petrovietnam delegation, led by Mr. Do Chi Thanh - Deputy General Director of Petrovietnam, departed from Hanoi early in the morning of August 1st to support the people.
Deputy General Director of Petrovietnam Do Chi Thanh and Standing Vice Chairman of the Vietnam Oil and Gas Trade Union Nguyen Manh Kha presented gifts to support people in Tong Co commune affected by floods.
Upon the delegation's arrival in Son La province, Ms. Giang Thi Huong, Vice Chairman of the Vietnam Fatherland Front Committee of Son La province, met with them and provided the latest information on the impact of the floods in the province. Sharing in the losses suffered by the people, Mr. Do Chi Thanh, on behalf of Petrovietnam and the delegation, donated 1.5 billion VND to support Son La province in overcoming the consequences of the floods. Through the Vietnam Fatherland Front Committee of Son La province, Mr. Do Chi Thanh conveyed his condolences and encouragement to the people who lost their homes and property, and expressed his deepest sympathies to the families of those who lost loved ones due to the floods.
Comrade Do Chi Thanh also expressed his hope that the Son La Provincial Fatherland Front Committee would quickly transfer Petrovietnam's support to the affected people, helping them to stabilize their lives as soon as possible. "Petrovietnam is always ready to accompany and support Son La province in overcoming the consequences of the floods. For schools and health stations that were severely damaged and need repair or reconstruction, Petrovietnam has discussed specific plans with Son La province to provide support," Comrade Do Chi Thanh affirmed.
To share their support with those affected by the floods in Son La, the delegation continued its journey to Tong Co commune, Thuan Chau district - the area most severely impacted by the floods. There, the delegation met with, visited, and offered gifts and encouragement to the flood-affected residents.
Deeply moved by the delegation's concern, Ms. Luong Thi Doan expressed her gratitude for Petrovietnam's kindness. "My family's house was flooded, all our property was damaged, and our fields and trees were all gone. In these difficult times, the fact that you all showed concern, visited, and gave gifts has deeply touched me," Ms. Doan expressed.
According to Lo Minh Hue, Chairman of the People's Committee of Tong Co commune, the floods completely submerged many families' homes and damaged many houses. The lives of the people after the natural disaster are very difficult and lacking. “We only managed to provide clean water on July 27th and electricity was restored to the people on July 29th. The post-flood recovery efforts also faced many difficulties due to inconvenient transportation. We sincerely thank and appreciate the kind sentiments and noble gestures of Petrovietnam and the delegation who, despite the difficulties and hardships, came to share and support the people of the commune,” the Chairman of the People's Committee of Tong Co commune expressed.
Comrade Do Chi Thanh and Comrade Nguyen Manh Kha presented assistance to Dien Bien province to help overcome the consequences of the floods.
Leaving Son La, the delegation traveled to Dien Bien district (Dien Bien province) - a district severely affected by flash floods. There, Mr. Do Chi Thanh, on behalf of Petrovietnam, presented 1.5 billion VND to support the people in overcoming the consequences of the floods.
Members of the Petrovietnam delegation presented gifts and encouraged the people of Muong Pon commune.
Despite knowing that the roads were long and difficult to navigate due to landslides, and the weather remained rainy with a high risk of further landslides, the Petrovietnam delegation, driven by a desire to directly meet and share with the flood-affected people, set off for Muong Pon commune – a place severely impacted by the flash flood on July 25th. Comrade Do Chi Thanh and the delegation directly assisted 21 families. Among them, four families who unfortunately lost loved ones or had family members missing, and the family of a member of the Muong Pon 1 village security team whose house was swept away, received 10 million VND each; each family whose house was swept away received 5 million VND; and each family whose house collapsed received 4 million VND, along with gifts from Petrovietnam.
Sympathizing with the grief of the bereaved families, Comrade Do Chi Thanh and the delegation visited to offer incense and express their condolences to the victims of the flash floods, and to encourage and share the pain with the bereaved relatives.
Alongside its business activities, PetroVietnam has always prioritized social welfare. This is a crucial aspect of its long-term, sustainable development strategy, aligned with the four core values of its oil and gas culture: "Aspiration - Intelligence - Professionalism - Compassion," representing the responsibility, sentiment, and culture of oil and gas workers in their interactions with the community and society.
Quang Phu
