Before typhoon No.10 made landfall in the North-Central Coast, soldiers of the People’s Army of Vietnam rowed boats deep into alleys, carrying the elderly and children to safety. When the storm passed, they rushed to the hardest-hit areas, helping residents re-roof their homes, repair damaged houses, and join hands to rebuild lives from the rubble.
Re-roofing homes, reinforcing schools
In Xuan Linh 1 Hamlet, Nghi Xuan Commune, Ha Tinh Province, the aftermath of Typhoon No.10 left houses in ruins and trees uprooted. Standing before her home, freshly re-roofed by officers and soldiers of Squadron 2 under Coast Guard Region 1 Command, Duong Thi Huong’s eyes welled with tears as she recalled the night of terror: “Rain poured in after the tiles were blown away, leaving only four bare walls. The furniture was soaked. My elderly mother, two grandchildren, and I had nowhere to hide. Just when we felt helpless, the soldiers came to help. They fixed the roof, cleaned up, and salvaged what could be used. Thanks to them, my family no longer has to seek shelter elsewhere,” she said, her voice trembling.
Soldiers from Military Region 4 quickly mobilized to support storm-hit communities, focusing on households with no one to rely on and those whose homes suffered severe damage in Hue, Quang Tri, Ha Tinh, and Nghe An. Many worked through the night. At Xuan Hai Primary School in Dan Hai Commune, Ha Tinh Province—badly damaged by the storm—dozens of troops from Commando Battalion 31 joined teachers to clear fallen branches, reinforce classrooms, and recover usable school equipment.
Similarly, at Ky Khang Kindergarten, officers and soldiers from the Ky Khang Border Guard Station, Area 3 Defense Command, and local militia collected scattered roofing sheets, repaired facilities, and cleaned up the grounds so the school could soon welcome pupils back. Principal Nguyen Tien of Xuan Hai Primary School admitted he was still shaken by the storm’s ferocity. “When the soldiers marched in to help repair and clean up, our joy was beyond words,” he said with emotion.
Timely rescues
As typhoon No.10 subsided, flash floods from upstream swelled the Lam and Hieu rivers, isolating many mountain communities in Nghe An. Engineers from Brigade 414 (Military Region 4) immediately deployed 30 officers and soldiers with two Zil-131 trucks and two VSN-1500 boats to Truong Son Hamlet, Van Xuan Commune, evacuating residents and property from flood zones. Thanks to their swift action, hundreds of villagers were rescued from raging waters.
At the same time, torrential rains combined with high tides eroded sections of the Ma River dike in Thanh Hoa, threatening thousands of households. The provincial Military Command mobilized nearly 200 soldiers from Regiment 762 and Area 1 Defense Command in Trieu Son, together with militia and emergency forces, working overnight to reinforce the dike and prevent disaster.
“In less than a month, soldiers have twice braved storms and floods to help us repair landslides and prevent the Ma River dike from bursting, safeguarding lives and property right in the heart of natural disasters,” said Mr. Nghiem Phu Lam, Chairman of Quang Phu Ward People’s Committee.
Before, during, and after typhoon No.10, alongside local authorities and functional forces, the military deployed maximum manpower and resources to evacuate residents from danger zones, search for missing persons, and support home rebuilding. Many soldiers stayed awake through stormy nights, facing landslides and floods to deliver aid directly to victims. They have become heroes in disaster relief, consistently placing the safety of the people above all else.
“The soldiers are here!”
In the Vietnam–Laos border area of A Luoi 1 Commune, Hue City, residents felt a heavy burden lifted as Border Guard troops marched in, drenched from the rain. Village elder Ho Xuan Tich cried out: “The soldiers are here! Please help us!” In this borderland, ripe rice fields had been flattened by winds and submerged by floodwaters, while many households lacked family members strong enough to harvest the crops.
Ho Can Hoa, a resident of A Luoi 4 Commune, recounted that her 2,000 square meters of golden-ripe rice was inundated. With her husband ill and children working far away, she felt overwhelmed: “Everyone in the village was busy saving their own crops and repairing homes. Just when I was at my wits’ end, the soldiers came. They worked tirelessly day and night—some harvesting, some carrying loads. Without their help, the rice would have sprouted in the fields, leaving my family and many others empty-handed and facing hunger,” she said.
