Dong Nai joins hands for flood-hit compatriots

Amid the devastating flooding that has struck the south-central and Central Highlands provinces, Dong Nai has rolled out a range of meaningful, hands-on efforts to support communities bearing the brunt of the disaster.

Officers and soldiers of the Dong Nai Provincial Police support Tuy Hoa Ward in Dak Lak Province in their recovery efforts following the disaster. Photo: Collaborator

Working through the night to make Chung cake for flood-affected communities

Doan Thi Hoa, originally from Ninh Phuoc Commune in Khanh Hoa Province and now living in Trang Dai Ward, Dong Nai Province, has spent the past few days feeling as if she is “sitting on a fire,” watching her hometown and the surrounding parts of the South-Central region and Central Highlands submerged by floods. She said, “I am almost 50, and I have never seen my once-peaceful hometown suffer such devastating floods and damage.”

On the afternoon of November 22, after finishing her shift at Changshin Vietnam Co., Ltd. (Tan Trieu Ward, Dong Nai Province), Hoa went to the Trang Dai Ward Cultural Center to join others in washing dong leaves and banana leaves and wrapping Chung cake (square glutinous rice cake) and Tet cake (cylindrical glutinous rice cake). They worked through the night to prepare the cakes for communities affected by the floods.

Tran Van Son, a resident of Trang Dai Ward, has been deeply affected in recent days by the devastation caused by floods in central Vietnam, despite not being from the region. Along with neighbors, he has been collecting and preparing essential supplies to provide urgent relief to those impacted. In the past few days, he has put aside personal and family matters to participate fully in the relief efforts organized by the Vietnam Fatherland Front Committee of Trang Dai Ward.

Son shared, “I still vividly remember those days four years ago, when the COVID-19 pandemic ravaged Dong Nai Province, and everything was under lockdown. At that time, my family received a bag of rice, along with fresh vegetables, eggs, dried fish, and salt sent by fellow countrymen in central Vietnam. Now, as people in the central region are struggling against devastating floods, the kindness they once showed my family nearly five years ago comes flooding back. I truly feel their pain, and I want to do something to help ease the tremendous loss they are facing.”

The Vietnam Fatherland Front Committee of Trang Dai Ward reported that overnight on November 22–23, residents of Trang Dai Ward wrapped and cooked more than 300 Chung cakes and Tet cakes, which were then loaded onto vehicles for swift delivery to flood-hit areas. They also donated hundreds of boxes of instant noodles, rice, bottled water, and other essential supplies. The items were carefully sorted and packaged into gift sets to ensure efficient distribution to affected communities.

Providing relief and assistance to communities affected by natural disasters

According to the provincial police, on the morning of November 22, Task Force 1, comprising 16 officers and soldiers, coordinated directly with Hoa Xuan Commune Police in Dak Lak Province, braving floodwaters to deliver food, drinking water, and essential supplies directly to residents in inundated areas.

Beyond delivering aid, the officers and soldiers also participated in rescue operations, assisting those in distress amid swift currents. Together with local police, they brought older adults, the sick, women, and children to safety.

Several families were evacuated overnight as rising floodwaters and persistent heavy rains threatened their homes. Despite impassable roads and strong currents, the officers and soldiers demonstrated resilience and a deep sense of duty: “For the country, we forget ourselves; for the people, we serve.”

At present, the Dong Nai Provincial Vietnam Fatherland Front Committee, the Dong Nai Provincial Red Cross Society, the Provincial Charity Association, and local authorities are mobilizing relief efforts to support communities in provinces and cities affected by natural disasters.

The task force from the Dong Nai Provincial Police has reached the remote areas of Hoa Xuan Commune in Dak Lak Province, where more than 23,000 households have been severely affected by the recent floods.

By the afternoon of November 22, in response to the urgent need to assist residents in flood-affected areas, the Dong Nai Provincial Police held a dispatch ceremony to send 115 officers and soldiers, along with machinery, equipment, and vehicles, to support people in Dak Lak Province. This endeavor marks the second task force deployed by the Dong Nai Provincial Police to aid communities affected by floods in central Vietnam.

Captain Thai Ngo Hieu, an officer from the Fire Prevention and Rescue Police Division under the Provincial Public Security Department, said that following the deployment ceremony on the afternoon of November 22, the task force arrived in Tuy Hoa Ward to support residents. As floodwaters in some severely affected areas began to recede, the team was assigned to assist people in cleaning and restoring their homes and streets, removing debris, fallen trees, and household items swept away by the floods, to help the community stabilize their lives.

From early morning, officers and soldiers of the provincial police began cleaning homes and clearing waste and mud from local roads to help residents resume their everyday lives.

In addition, provincial police personnel transported essential supplies brought from Dong Nai and handed them over to local authorities for distribution to flood-affected residents in the area.

By Cong Danh, Tran Nghia – Translated by Tam Binh, Minho