The Deputy Prime Minister and the team traveled by boat to the most submerged area of Phieng Nghe Village, Chieng Den Commune (Son La City), where flooding has persisted for days, with water levels reaching up to 11 meters in some areas. They then met Son La Province officials at Phieng Nghe Village School.
Mr. Nguyen Thanh Cong, Deputy Chairman of the Son La Province People's Committee, reported that since the night of July 23, the province had endured the heaviest rainfall in 30 years. The heavy rains caused flash floods and landslides in Mai Son and Thuan Chau Districts and severe flooding in Son La City, resulting in 11 deaths or missing people and estimated damages exceeding VND500 billion.
The province is focusing on repairing infrastructure and stabilizing residents' lives. Priority tasks include repairing 29 schools to prepare for the new academic year and fixing 36 damaged clean water facilities to ensure supply for residents.
During the meeting, Deputy Prime Minister Le Thanh Long conveyed Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh’s condolences for the difficulties and losses faced by local authorities and residents in the flood-affected areas. He highlighted the Prime Minister’s concern for disaster recovery and the stabilization of living conditions for those affected. The Deputy Prime Minister also commended the proactive efforts of local authorities, agencies, and local residents in addressing the flooding.
The Deputy Prime Minister announced that the Prime Minister has allocated an emergency aid of VND10 billion to Son La Province to swiftly address the impact of the floods and severe flooding.
He instructed Son La Province to focus on managing and implementing recovery efforts while closely monitoring the situation. The Deputy Prime Minister also emphasized the importance of proactively preparing for and responding to future natural disasters, following the Prime Minister’s directives.
Four Northern dams to release floodwater through nine gates starting tonight
After the three major dams in the Northern region—Son La, Hoa Binh, and Tuyen Quang—opened their floodgates, Thac Ba Hydropower Plant in Yen Bai Province will also open its floodgates tonight, August 4.
According to the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD), as of noon today, the water level at Thac Ba Reservoir was 57.35 meters, with an inflow rate of 750 cubic meters per second and a discharge rate of 265 cubic meters per second.
To comply with flood management procedures for the Red River basin, the Minister of MARD has instructed the Director of Thac Ba Hydropower Joint Stock Company to open one floodgate at 7 p.m. tonight, August 4.
With this latest directive, four major dams in the Northern region will have a total of nine floodgates open tonight.
