Parts of Vietnam, particularly coastal areas, are slowly returning to normal after Typhoon Yagi struck on September 7-8, killing at least 233 people in the country. However, more mountainous northern provinces are still suffering from landslides and flooding. The typhoon continued its deadly journey across Asia on September 11, causing severe flooding in Thailand and Burma, where a civil war is raging.
Halong Bay, south of Hanoi, has started receiving tourists again, local authorities said, with boats resuming cruise operations on Friday, September 13, under now-clear skies. The site known for its karst peaks planted in the sea hopes to attract 9.5 million visitors by 2024.
It has been thirty years since the country was hit by a typhoon of this intensity. The north of the country has never experienced such destruction. Could some of the damage have been avoided? This very densely populated country of 100 million inhabitants is experiencing strong economic growth, and the construction boom has helped to develop sites vulnerable to flooding. However, the time has come for all-out mobilization by the communist authorities, who have not hesitated to send the army to reinforce the rescuers. The media, which are tightly controlled, are showing the trips of the new secretary general of the Vietnamese communist party, To Lam, a former minister of public security, to one part of the disaster areas, and of Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh to the other.
It’s time for miracles
After a succession of tragic news stories – including the collapse of a bridge over the Red River on September 9 north of Hanoi – miracles have begun: a couple from the coastal province of Quang Ninh who were caught by the typhoon while trying to reinforce the moorings of their fish farm off a small island survived for twenty hours, sheltering in a large wooden and polystyrene box that drifted nearly 10 kilometers on the raging waters. In Hanoi, the Red River has begun to decline, having reached a record 11 meters above normal levels on the night of September 12-13.
In Lao Cai province, not far from the Chinese border, 123 villagers who were reported missing after their village was ravaged by a mudslide have been found: they had taken refuge higher up in the mountains. Rescue workers have reached them to bring them food and build a camp until they can come back down. The mountainous regions are populated by ethnic minorities who live in sometimes very remote places.
You have 44.02% of this article left to read. The rest is reserved for subscribers.