Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh holds emergency online meeting on flood recovery
WVR - On November 23 morning (Hanoi time, 2 a.m. the same day in South Africa), from Johannesburg, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh chaired an emergency online meeting with ministries, departments, agencies, and localities via domestic hubs to discuss the flood situation and continue responding to and recovering from natural disasters in the central provinces.
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| From South Africa, Prime Minister Holds Emergency Online Meeting on Flood Recovery |
Deputy Prime Ministers, leaders of ministries, localities, agencies, and the National Civil Defense Steering Committee attended the meeting at the Government headquarters and local hubs.
This marks the second time during his official visit to Kuwait and Algeria, attending the G20 Summit and bilateral activities in South Africa from November 16-24, that Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh has chaired an online meeting with domestic counterparts on flood situations, following a meeting on November 20 from Algeria.
In recent days, an unusual and severe bout of rain and flooding in the provinces and cities of Da Nang, Gia Lai, Dak Lak, Khanh Hoa, and Lam Dong has caused significant damage to lives and property.
The Party, State, and Government leaders have been closely monitoring the situation, directing ministries, departments, and localities to promptly implement preventive and responsive measures to natural disasters, and have been present in severely affected areas to inspect and direct recovery and relief efforts, ensuring the stability of people's lives.
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| From South Africa, Prime Minister holds emergency online meeting on flood recovery. (Photo: VNA) |
According to the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment, from November 22 to the morning of November 23, 2025, rain had mostly ceased in Gia Lai, Dak Lak, Khanh Hoa, and Lam Dong, with isolated stations in Dak Lak and Khanh Hoa still recording 40-80mm of rain.
Flood levels on rivers have receded. Currently, Dak Lak still has flooding in four communes and wards (Hoa Xuan, Dong Hoa, Hoa Thinh, Hoa My), Khanh Hoa has 87 households flooded in Dien Dien and Hoa Tri communes; Lam Dong has 127 households flooded in Nam Da and Cat Tien communes.
The National Center for Hydro-Meteorological Forecasting predicts that heavy rain will gradually decrease from the night of November 25.
Regarding damages, updated figures show that the floods have resulted in 102 deaths and disappearances, 1,154 houses damaged, and at the peak, 186,000 houses were flooded; over 80,000 hectares of rice and crops damaged; more than 3.2 million livestock and poultry dead or swept away; 24 locations on national highways suffered landslides and blockages, and railway operations through Dak Lak and Khanh Hoa have been temporarily suspended; many infrastructure works in transportation, irrigation, education, and healthcare have been damaged.
Initial estimates of the damage amount to 9,035 billion VND (Quang Ngai 650 billion VND, Gia Lai 1,000 billion VND, Dak Lak 5,330 billion VND, Khanh Hoa 1,000 billion VND, Lam Dong 1,055 billion VND).
The Party, Government, Prime Minister, and various ministries and localities continue to vigorously implement measures to respond to and recover from the floods.
On November 21, 2025, the Politburo issued Notice No. 99-TB/TW directing efforts to recover from the floods in the Central region.
On November 22, 2025, following the Politburo's assignment, four working groups from the Party, State, and Government leadership continued to visit affected areas, with Standing Member of the Secretariat Tran Cam Tu in Khanh Hoa, Permanent Deputy Prime Minister Nguyen Hoa Binh in Dak Lak, Minister of Defense Phan Van Giang in Gia Lai, and Chairwoman of the Vietnam Fatherland Front Central Committee Bui Thi Minh Hoai in Lam Dong.
On November 21, 2025, the Permanent Deputy Prime Minister signed a decision to urgently support 700 billion VND for four provinces: Khanh Hoa, Lam Dong, Gia Lai, and Dak Lak (Khanh Hoa 200 billion VND, Lam Dong 200 billion VND, Gia Lai 150 billion VND, Dak Lak 150 billion VND).
The Ministry of Defense has directed and mobilized 44,668 personnel and 2,231 vehicles; transported and distributed 86.5 tons of goods, civilian clothes, water purification tablets, and 3,000 boxes of instant noodles; deployed three helicopters to deliver relief supplies to flood-affected areas.
The police force has mobilized 98,509 personnel and forces to maintain security and order at the grassroots level, with 13,566 vehicles deployed to respond to and recover from the floods.
The Ministry of Agriculture and Environment has mobilized international organizations to provide food such as sausages, biscuits, milk, and bottled water to support people in flood-affected areas in Gia Lai and Dak Lak; and provided 1,500 boxes of instant noodles to Dak Lak.
The Ministry of Finance has distributed 4,000 tons of rice to Gia Lai and Khanh Hoa provinces (2,000 tons each).
The Ministry of Health has mobilized and distributed 6 tons of chemicals and 150,000 water purification tablets; 3,000 essential family medicine kits for flood-affected areas.
The Ministry of Construction has directed the repair of incidents and the reopening of National Highway 1; currently, there are still 13 locations on national highways experiencing localized landslides causing blockages that are being addressed.
The electricity sector has restored power to over 920,000 customers; efforts are ongoing to restore power to 258,000 customers still without electricity.
In telecommunications, network providers have implemented roaming from the morning of November 19, 2025, in Dak Lak, Gia Lai, and Khanh Hoa to maintain communication.
On November 22, the Vietnam Fatherland Front Central Committee allocated 80 billion VND to support four provinces (20 billion VND each) to recover from the floods.
Ministries and localities have seriously implemented the directives of the Prime Minister, Deputy Prime Minister, and the National Civil Defense Steering Committee; vigorously carried out flood response and recovery efforts, focusing on evacuating and relocating 38,381 households/119,938 people, and providing food and supplies to people in flooded areas. Many organizations, individuals, and philanthropists have organized relief efforts for flood victims.
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| Deputy Prime Ministers, leaders of ministries, localities, agencies, and the National Civil Defense Steering Committee attended the meeting at the Government headquarters. (Source: VNA) |
Reporting at the meeting, Senior Lieutenant General Le Huy Vinh, Deputy Minister of Defense, stated that in response to the directives of the Prime Minister and the National Civil Defense Steering Committee on flood response and recovery, the Ministry of Defense has issued 12 directives guiding agencies and units to respond to and recover from the floods; mobilized forces and vehicles to implement measures to address the impacts of rain, floods, landslides, and inundations. The Ministry of Defense has established six task forces to direct flood response and recovery efforts.
The Ministry has instructed its agencies and units to strictly maintain civil defense readiness at all levels; proactively coordinate with local authorities to mobilize forces and vehicles to closely monitor the flood situation; review, adjust, and supplement plans; ensure uninterrupted communication for command and control; conduct search and rescue operations, and transport food, supplies, and clean water to isolated areas as ordered by the Ministry of Defense.
The General Department of Logistics and Technology has been directed to coordinate with the State Reserve Department to distribute national reserve goods as per the Prime Minister's decision to affected localities; organize the transport of 30,000 sets of civilian clothes and 15,000 double mosquito nets (total value of 12 billion VND) to assist flood-affected residents.
As of November 22, 2025, the Ministry of Defense has mobilized 44,668 personnel, militia, and 2,231 vehicles to assist residents in recovering from the floods.
The Ministry of Defense has directed units to coordinate with local authorities and other forces to relocate: 27,283 households/93,705 people, transport: food, supplies, necessities; 86.5 tons of goods; support 8,000 sets of civilian clothes; provide 150 tents; supply 14 tons of Chloramine B; donate 2,500 gifts; 3,000 boxes of instant noodles; 1,000 boxes of clean water; 2,500 double mosquito nets; 2,500 single mosquito nets;...
Military Region 5 organized the transport and distribution of: 11 tons of dry food (4 tons by the Gia Lai Provincial Military Command; 4 tons by the Dak Lak Provincial Military Command; 3 tons by the Khanh Hoa Provincial Military Command), 20,000 packs of instant noodles, 12,000 bottles of filtered water, 12,000 loaves of bread, 12,000 boxes of milk, 2,000 packs of sausages, 3,000 cans of food, 3,000 cans of meat; 2,300 gifts; repaired 74 houses (48 in Dak Lak, 26 in Gia Lai); organized the cleanup of 14 schools (11 in Dak Lak, 3 in Gia Lai); cleaned 14.5 km of roads.
According to Senior Lieutenant General Le Huy Vinh, the Ministry of Defense is currently focusing on continuing to maintain strict readiness at all levels; mobilizing maximum forces and vehicles to assist the public in responding to and recovering from floods, inundations, landslides, and conducting search and rescue operations.
The Ministry has directed Military Regions 5 and 7; Army Corps 34 and units stationed in affected provinces to coordinate with local authorities to continue reviewing flooded, landslide-prone, isolated, and cut-off areas; mobilize forces and vehicles to promptly assist authorities in relocating people and property to safety and returning them home after the water recedes; focus on coordinating with local authorities to provide food, supplies, necessities, and clean water for residents; handle environmental sanitation, prevent disease outbreaks; clean schools to ensure learning conditions for students, provide medical care for residents, and restore stable production and business activities.
Additionally, the Ministry has directed the Air Defense - Air Force Service and Army Corps 18 to be ready to deploy helicopters for rescue and relief operations and transport food and necessities to isolated areas. Units are continuing to mobilize forces and vehicles to assist local authorities and residents in recovering from floods, inundations, and landslides.
Reporting at the meeting, Lieutenant General Dang Hong Duc, Deputy Minister of Public Security, stated that in fulfilling their duties, the Ministry of Public Security has directed local police forces to maintain 100% readiness to respond to floods with the highest sense of responsibility, ensuring no surprises or passivity; maintaining security and order at the grassroots level, preventing crime from exploiting natural disasters to steal or destroy state and public property; strictly handling cases of misinformation on the internet; assigning specific tasks to individuals to ensure clarity in roles, responsibilities, and timelines, leaving no area unattended in response efforts...
Local police forces have closely coordinated with other forces in the area to organize propaganda, mobilization, and support for evacuating people and property from dangerous areas to safety and addressing emerging situations at the grassroots level. The Ministry of Public Security has mobilized 100% of the police force in provinces and cities from Ha Tinh to Lam Dong, with 121,548 personnel and 52,925 units of materials and vehicles participating in maintaining security and order at the grassroots level, coordinating with other forces in the area to promptly implement flood response and recovery efforts, organizing rescue and relief operations, guiding and directing traffic to ensure safety.
Additionally, the Ministry has directed traffic police forces to arrange personnel to guide traffic, ensuring safety on all routes, strictly prohibiting travel in areas where natural disasters pose safety risks at key traffic points; the Fire Prevention and Rescue Police forces are ready with personnel and vehicles for search and rescue operations, closely coordinating with other forces to inspect and guide the safe docking of boats at ports to ensure fire safety at docking areas; Mobile Police Regiments stationed in affected areas participate in assisting residents, conducting search and rescue operations, and recovering from the aftermath, cleaning the environment, and helping residents stabilize their lives.
Deputy Minister of Public Security Dang Hong Duc emphasized that the Ministry of Public Security is continuing to direct police units and localities to implement disaster recovery efforts, ensuring no surprises or passivity, following the "four on-the-spot" principle (local command; local forces; local materials and equipment; local logistics); mobilizing maximum forces and vehicles to ensure security and order, promptly and effectively responding to and recovering from the damage in the Central provinces: Gia Lai, Dak Lak, Khanh Hoa, Lam Dong; organizing rescue and relief operations for people and property to minimize damage caused by natural disasters.
The Ministry has directed the identification and strict handling of acts exploiting natural disasters to violate the law, particularly: theft of property; hoarding, stockpiling, or unreasonably raising prices; spreading misinformation on the internet, affecting disaster prevention and response efforts...
At the meeting, Minister of Health Dao Hong Lan stated that in terms of direction and management, the Ministry of Health has issued two directives to local health departments in affected areas to proactively and focus on responding to floods. The Ministry of Health requires health departments in affected provinces and cities to organize 24/24 professional and emergency duty; be ready to receive and treat victims of floods; coordinate with local forces to access deeply flooded and isolated residential areas to provide timely medical support when required; ensure absolute safety for healthcare workers participating in disaster response.
Proactively implement environmental sanitation and disease prevention immediately after the floods recede, following the Prime Minister's directives; absolutely prevent disease outbreaks after floods. Propagate and guide people on handling drinking water and food safety, ensuring that people do not consume unsafe food or contaminated water.
Direct affiliated units to be ready to support affected localities in organizing and stabilizing medical examination and treatment. Coordinate with local forces to access deeply flooded and isolated residential areas to provide timely medical support when required.
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| From South Africa, Prime Minister Holds Emergency Online Meeting on Flood Recovery |
Reporting at the meeting, Deputy Minister of Construction Le Anh Tuan stated that in implementing the Prime Minister's directives on focusing on responding to particularly severe floods in Khanh Hoa, Dak Lak, and Gia Lai, the Ministry of Construction has issued directives, instructing heads of agencies and units to monitor, update, and closely follow the flood situation in the Central region.
The Ministry of Construction has directed the Vietnam Road Administration to establish a task force led by the Administration's leadership to be present in the South Central provinces and cities to direct and guide units to continue mobilizing forces, machinery, and construction equipment; promptly and effectively use reserve materials to urgently address incidents, reopen routes, and ensure the quality of road infrastructure.
Units in the sector maintain a 24/24 command and control regime for disaster prevention and response; remain on standby and closely monitor the situation in the Central provinces and cities to coordinate with road management units in addressing damages.
The Ministry has promptly issued directives, guidance, and management documents to address difficulties for units; simultaneously supporting localities with human resources, machinery, equipment, and reserve materials, including directing the Vietnam Road Administration to request Road Management Area IV to provide 5,000 stone cages to the Lam Dong Department of Construction.
In the road sector, the Ministry has dispatched task forces to the field to work with localities, including Da Nang City, Quang Ngai Province, Gia Lai Province, Khanh Hoa Province, Dak Lak Province, and Lam Dong Province, to inspect and direct recovery efforts from particularly severe floods. Road management units have organized 24/24 duty, promptly deploying forces, materials, and equipment with the "four on-the-spot" principle to respond to arising situations.
Due to particularly severe floods causing inundations and landslides, hundreds of locations have been blocked, and central and local agencies and units have urgently and comprehensively implemented various solutions to respond to and recover from natural disasters.
However, due to the extensive damage on national highways, as of the morning of November 23, 2025, there are still 12 blocked and flooded locations; one location on routes managed by central authorities, and 11 locations on national highways managed by local authorities. Sector units are striving to address these issues to reopen routes as soon as possible.
In the railway sector, as of 6 a.m. on November 23, 2025, due to prolonged heavy rain in Gia Lai, Quang Ngai, Dak Lak, and Khanh Hoa provinces, railway operations on the Hanoi – Ho Chi Minh City route have been affected, and this route has not yet resumed operations. Due to natural disasters, the railway sector has canceled 41 passenger trains, resulting in 5.3 billion VND in goods losses, and over 17,750 tickets have been refunded. Many passenger and freight trains are stranded along the route.
In the aviation sector, Tuy Hoa Airport has resumed normal flight operations, with no cancellations or delays due to weather. The LOC station is still under repair, expected to be completed by November 30, 2025.
Maritime and inland waterway activities are proceeding normally.
Deputy Minister of Finance Nguyen Thi Bich Ngoc stated that in response to flood disasters, the Ministry of Finance has promptly submitted a proposal to the Prime Minister to use the central budget reserve for urgent monetary support; prepared forces, vehicles, materials, equipment, and food, and directed and assigned regional State Reserve Departments to proactively coordinate with functional agencies and local forces to promptly support residents in quickly recovering from natural disasters as requested by localities.
For monetary support, the Ministry of Finance has submitted a proposal to the Prime Minister to allocate 1,310 billion VND to support four localities: Dak Lak 380 billion VND; Gia Lai 480 billion VND; Khanh Hoa 250 billion VND; and Lam Dong 200 billion VND.
For national reserve goods distribution, the Ministry of Finance has distributed one high-speed boat set type DT3; 6,000 life-saving rings; 2,000 life jackets; 30 light rescue rafts; three generators of various types (two 30KVA sets and one 50 KVA set); two concrete drilling machines; three fire-fighting water pumps; three rescue line launching devices to Khanh Hoa Province.
Additionally, on November 20, the Ministry of Finance assigned the State Reserve Department to immediately distribute 2,000 tons of national reserve rice in an urgent situation to the Khanh Hoa Provincial People's Committee to promptly support residents affected by floods.
The Ministry of Finance has immediately distributed 3,759 tons of rice on November 13 and November 19, along with rescue equipment, including five high-speed boat sets of various types (three DT3 sets and two DT2 sets); two 50 KVA generators; 12 fire-fighting water pumps; four concrete drilling machines; 380 light rescue rafts; 4,500 life-saving rings to Dak Lak Province.
On November 20, the Ministry of Finance immediately distributed 2,000 tons of national reserve rice in an urgent situation to the Gia Lai Provincial People's Committee to promptly support residents affected by floods.
Deputy Minister Nguyen Thi Bich Ngoc affirmed that the Ministry of Finance will continue to closely coordinate with localities and the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment to support the distribution of reserve goods as requested by localities and advise the Prime Minister on using the central budget reserve to support flood recovery efforts.
