HÀ NỘI – Authorities and people nationwide are joining hands to support people in northern mountainous provinces that have been hard hit by floods in the past week.

With an aid movement underway across Việt Nam, Hà Nội is leading the way with about 4.5 billion (US$198,000) having been offered to assist flood victims in northern mountainous regions.

The Party Central Committee’s Office on Monday announced it had raised about VNĐ421 million (US$18,500) for the affected areas.

Party General Secretary Nguyễn Phú Trọng, former Party General Secretaries Lê Khả Phiêu and Nông Đức Mạnh, as well as other former Party and State leaders and officials of the Party Central Committee’s Office donated at least one-day’s salary to the fund. 
The same day, the Việt Nam Fatherland Front (VFF’s) Central Committee called on State officials and public servants to contribute at least one-day’s salary to aid the flood-hit areas. 
During the day, the VFF raised VNĐ105 million ($4,620), while receiving VNĐ50 million ($2,200) from the National Assembly Office and VNĐ450 million ($19,800) from the Ministry of Information and Communications for the fund. 

Initial data from the Centre Rescue Committee showed more than VNĐ1.6 billion ($70,000) of aid so far had been received from donators. The committee said this aid would be immediately transferred to people in the affected areas.

Authorities in northern mountain Yên Bái Province, which suffered the severe flood damage, said it had received a total of nearly VNĐ2.75 billion ($121,000) of cash in addition to other items such as food and clothes.

Chairman of the VFF Trần Thanh Mẫn said at an event on Tuesday to receive the donation that support from organisations and people nationwide had shown a “spirit of mutual sympathy”. He confirmed such aid would surely help locals overcome losses and quickly recover from the damage.

Vũ Đức Tiến, Vice Chairman of the People’s Committee of Mù Cang Chải District which suffered the heaviest damage in Yên Bái Province, said after receiving reports from locals about their human and property losses, district authorities sent forces to the areas for rescue and support activities.

The district had delivered aid worth about VNĐ10 million to each family with member who died or was missing from the flood, and VNĐ2.5 million to each of those with injured members.

The funds were taken from the district’s budget, according to Tiến.

The district official said each household that lost their house or suffered from damage due to landslides during and after the floods and storms, had also received aid worth VNĐ25 million and VNĐ10 million respectively.

A rescue campaign has begun with more than 2,370 people in the district participating, said Tiến.

Recent heavy rains and flash floods have killed 26 people and left 15 others missing and 27 injured in northern mountainous provinces, mostly Yên Bái, Sơn La, Lai Chậu, Điện Biên and Cao Bằng, according to the Central Steering Committee for Natural Disaster Prevention and Control. 
Torrential rains and floods also swept away and collapsed 231 houses, damaged 245 houses, submerged 338.5 hectares of rice and forced 398 households to flee their homes. 
The floods also damaged roads and irrigations works in the provinces, causing more than VNĐ940 billion (roughly US$41 million) in economic losses.-VNS