Rising from ashes of storm
Previously, Yeu Village was perched in isolation on a remote mountain in Ca Dang Commune of Dong Giang District (Quang Nam Province). In 2005, local authorities successfully encouraged residents to relocate to a new settlement at the area near the intersection between the Vang and Con rivers in Dai Hung Commune of Dai Loc District. However, in September 2006, Typhoon No. 6 (Typhoon Xangsane) unleashed its fury, leaving the entire village utterly devastated.
Following SGGP Newspaper’s coverage of the disaster, the paper’s readership responded with overwhelming generosity, contributing over VND100 million (US$3,848) to help families reconstruct their homes and regain stability. This aid, combined with support from other organizations, facilitated the construction of 35 new houses, ensuring the residents of Yeu Village had safe shelter in time for the Lunar New Year celebration in 2007.
Yeu Village has transformed remarkably, with improved living standards. Elder Dinh Phe proudly showed his typhoon-donated home from SGGP Newspaper readers. He recalled immense relief, saying that “Back then, we thought we’d have to return to our old village because all our houses were gone. When the authorities told us SGGP Newspaper had mobilized readers to fund new homes, we were overjoyed!”
Overcoming historic floods
The historic flood in October 2020 inundated Tan Ninh Commune of Quang Ninh District in Quang Binh Province, submerging it beneath a vast expanse of water. Three homes belonging to Tran Thi Thanh Thieu and Nguyen Thi Diem in Huu Tan Village, and Nguyen Thi Lieu in The Loc Village, were completely demolished by the surging floodwaters.
After SGGP Newspaper reported on the devastation, compassionate readers travelled directly to the village, personally delivering over VND600 million ($23,087) to assist the three families in constructing new houses. By the close of that year, all three residences were completed and occupied.
Lieu recounted, “I was 75 years old that year. My house was destroyed, but thankfully, SGGP Newspaper wrote about our situation, and readers donated VND150 million ($5,800). I borrowed a little more and built a strong, permanent home. During the recent 2024 flood, because my family had this sturdy house, we weren't forced to flee the water anymore. This act of fellow feeling from our compatriots is something I will always remember; I've even instructed my children and grandchildren to cherish and be grateful for it.”
Chairman Nguyen Van Hoa of the Tan Ninh Commune People’s Committee, commented, “During the 2020 flood, SGGP Newspaper provided the earliest reports on the local damage, which allowed many philanthropists to arrive promptly, sharing aid and helping our villagers quickly stabilize their lives and resume production after the flood receded. Notably, SGGP Newspaper readers played a crucial role in helping those whose homes were ‘completely wiped out’ to build new, resilient, and solid houses.”
Transforming lives
To mobilize support from donors for individuals and families facing severe hardship, SGGP Newspaper established a dedicated section initially titled “Address Needs Help”, later rebranded as “Circumstances Need Help”. Thanks to the invaluable assistance from several readers, the lives of numerous families have been profoundly transformed. Some have received capital to start businesses, others have secured stable housing, some have regained their sight or the use of their limbs, and many children have been able to return to their studies.
From Tu Mo Rong District of Kon Tum Province, Y H Mup shared her immense joy. Her daughter Y Kieu Phuong, who had a disability, now walks independently without crutches thanks to SGGP-facilitated support. Mup expressed deep gratitude, highlighting her daughter can now walk to school alone. “It's so wonderful seeing her healthy like other children”, she said, expressing her family’s deep indebtedness.
In Kon Tum’s Dak Coi Commune, A Luong and his four grandchildren have finally moved into a safe, new 240m2 home, built with significant support from SGGP Newspaper and other donors, ending their anxiety about storms. SGGP Newspaper also helped secure a VND150 million ($5,800) tractor, a vital equipment providing A Luong with a sustainable livelihood to support his grandfather and two younger siblings.
In the sturdy house built in Dien Dai Village of Phu Xuan Commune (Hue City) – a home constructed through the joint efforts of SGGP Newspaper reporters, colleagues, readers, and local authorities – Nguyen Nu Kieu Oanh hugged her three orphaned younger sisters goodbye before tying her luggage onto her motorbike, preparing to travel to Da Nang City to continue her second year studying English Language at Duy Tan University.
Abandoned by their father and their mother driven to suicide by despair, Oanh was left to serve as both sister and mother to her three young, vulnerable siblings. Moved by Oanh’s dire situation, SGGP Newspaper reporters proposed that the Editorial Board consider offering assistance and also enlisted colleagues and relatives to share the SGGP article on social media, rallying support from the wider community. Following an SGGP article, donors contributed nearly VND500 million ($19,200), alongside SGGP’s aid, for a solid home and savings, significantly helping these orphaned children overcome hardships.
In the deeply impoverished Dom 2 Village of Chau Phong Commune in Nghe An Province, Son Thi Duong, grappling with mental health challenges, and her young son Son Van Nhan faced a harrowing existence. Their rudimentary hut, patched together with bamboo and leaves at the foot of Wind Mountain, offered meager protection. Ragged and leaky, it left them exposed to harsh wind and driving rain, forcing frightening evacuations by local authorities every storm season.
SGGP Newspaper’s poignant article, “Mother and Child Barely Surviving at the Foot of Wind Mountain”, exposed their tragic plight to a wider audience. This report sparked an extraordinary wave of compassion. The crucial donation of VND90 million ($3,500), supplemented by donated tiles, furnishings, and food essentials, galvanized the community. Villagers and local authorities volunteered labor days, meticulously building a solid “house of compassion” right beside their fragile old dwelling.
Chairman Luong Van Hiep of Chau Phong Commune shared emotionally, “This truly represents a collective effort to shelter the disadvantaged. We are profoundly grateful for the compassionate actions of SGGP Newspaper.” Their lives, once defined by extreme vulnerability, are now anchored by a community’s enduring kindness.
In September 2024, Typhoon No. 3 (Yagi) made landfall in Northern Vietnam. Faced with the enormous damage inflicted by the storm, SGGP Newspaper reporters immediately flew to the eye of the storm in Quang Ninh Province to provide aid to the affected population while the typhoon’s remnants were still causing havoc.
SGGP Newspaper also promptly launched a relief campaign for the residents of the Northern region impacted by the typhoon and floods. In a short period, over VND11 billion ($423,200) was mobilized, which was then directly distributed by the Paper as aid, helping the people in the Northern region regain stability in their lives.
