Cleanup efforts underway in Liên Minh Commune. — VNA/VNS Photos Hương Thu

LÀO CAI — In Liên Minh Commune, Sa Pa Town, in the northern mountainous province of Lào Cai, houses have been repaired and fish farms have been rebuilt after the historic floods that killed seven people in September 2023.

Although life has not returned to normal as before the floods, local people are trying to rebuild a new village and regain trust in a better future to together welcome the new year ahead.

Local people clean up neighbourhood areas to welcome Lunar New Year.

More than four months after the historic floods on the night of September 12, 2023 that killed seven people, injured six and damaged 61 cold-water fish farms with about 610 fish ponds, traces of the severe damage still haunt local people.

Liên Minh, a remote commune of Sa Pa Town, is located over 40 km from the town centre and is home to Mông, Dao, Tày, Xa Phó ethnic groups.

Among them, the Dao people account for the largest proportion.

Standing on uneven ground which used to be green rice fields, Tẩn Chằn Quyên from Nậm Cang Village is still shocked.

During the floods that night, he saw all of his family's properties, including 13 cold-water fish tanks, swept away without being able to do anything.

He said the land was given by his grandparents. No floods had been recorded for hundreds of years. When natural disasters hit the village last year, local people were too surprised to take any action.

"Tens of billions of đồng were lost. During a difficult time that seemed impossible to recover from, my family was fortunate to receive assistance from authorities, donators and other villagers to help clean up and comfort us,” he told Vietnam News Agency.

After the cleanup, he plans to borrow money from the Bank for Social Policies to rebuild a salmon farm.

Phàn Lổ Xeng, another villager of Nậm Cang Village, will celebrate the Lunar New Year festival in a new one-floor house built thanks to the help of local authorities worth more than VNĐ100 million.

“During that terrible night, my family was having dinner when a sudden flood came. Our family survived thanks to climbing to the top of a big tree near the house,” he said.

"We might have died if we had climbed three minutes later,” he said.

The budget used to build the new house came from VNĐ40 million donated by the local Fatherland Front Committee and others sourced from neighbours' donations.

Phàn Lổ Xeng's new house built after the floods.

According to chairman of Liên Minh Commune People's Committee Phàn Phủ Seng, the provincial Fatherland Front Committee handed out over VNĐ2.8 billion and the Sa Pa Town Fatherland Front Committee supported with over VNĐ600 million for families of those killed and affected by the floods.

They also set up savings books for four children who lost their parents due to the floods.

Seng said in order not to leave people in flooded areas without Tết, organisations handed out presents to the flood-hit families.

The locality has mobilised maximum resources to stabilise local livelihoods soon. Those who had houses damaged by the floods have been relocated to resettlement areas.

Damaged roads and bridges have been repaired. After the flood, Nậm Cang stream was buried. After the embankment of the stream is completed, villagers will take the next steps to restore production, he said.

Local authorities encouraged residents to reinvest in fish farms and stay far away from areas prone to landslides and flash floods, he said. — VNS