The first shipment of 5,300 tonnes of rice was delivered to Vietnam at Cam Ranh Port in the central coastal province of Khanh Hoa on March 3, benefiting people in the provinces of Khanh Hoa, Phu Yen, Binh Dinh, Gia Lai, Kon Tum and Dak Lak, who were severely affected by storms last year.
In 2017, most parts of the country suffered from severe natural disasters, causing an estimated VND60 trillion ($2.64 billion) in economic losses and leaving about 380 people dead and missing, Thanh said.
The Rok Government, via the ASEAN 3 Emergency Rice Reserve (APTERR), donated 10,000 tonnes of rice to Vietnam, he noted, adding that the second shipment of rice will arrive at Da Nang Port in Da Nang city on March 17.
The amount will be sent to victims in the central provinces of Thua Thien-Hue, Quang Nam, Quang Ngai and Quang Tri, he said.
On the behalf of the beneficiary provinces, Vice Chairman of the People’s Committee of Khanh Hoa Dao Cong Thien thanked the RoK Government for the aid and pledged to dispatch the rice to people in need as soon as possible.
