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| Yen Bai Provincial People’s Committee Chairman Tran Huy Tuan (fourth from right) expresses deep gratitude to the Swiss Embassy in Vietnam and Swiss relief experts. (Photo: VNA) |
The relief supplies included 3,000 flashlights, 3,000 kitchen sets, 3,000 family water filters, 3,000 clean water containers, and 6,000 Song Long 22-liter plastic buckets, with a total value of approximately USD116,000.
According to the plan, these relief supplies, in collaboration with Samaritan’s Purse, were transported to Yen Bai, Lao Cai and Cao Bang provinces on September 16-17 to be distributed to those affected by the recent storms and floods.
On the same day, Deputy Director Nguyen Van Tien of the Department of Dike Management and Natural Disaster Prevention, representing the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, also received aid from Mr. Thomas Gass, the Ambassador of Switzerland to Vietnam, at Noi Bai Airport. Additionally, Chairman of the Yen Bai Provincial People’s Committee Tran Huy Tuan accepted the goods from the Ministry and directed local agencies to distribute them to affected areas following Storm No. 3 and heavy rains.
The aid included equipment and systems related to safe housing and clean water, weighing 26 tons, with an estimated value of approximately VND10.5 billion.
During the handover ceremony, Switzerland expressed condolences for the losses Vietnam has suffered and reaffirmed its commitment to supporting Vietnam in recovering from natural disasters.
In the immediate future, Switzerland will send a team of eight experienced experts in clean water, sanitation and safe housing to conduct a detailed survey on the needs of Yen Bai province and provide appropriate reconstruction recommendations. The team is expected to begin their survey next week, and they will assist in the installation and usage of the equipment.
Earlier, on September 15, an aid flight from the Indian government landed at Noi Bai Airport. The aid included 2,628 water purification systems, 1,000 water containers with valves, 15 large water tanks (500 liters), 10,000 blankets, 7,506 mosquito nets, 2,000 solar-powered lamps and 2,000 cooking sets. The total weight of the goods was over 35 tons, valued at approximately USD1 million.
Since September 11, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development has received one shipment of aid from the Australian government, three shipments from the ASEAN Coordinating Centre for Humanitarian Assistance on Disaster Management, one shipment from the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), one from the Indian government, one from the Swiss government, and one from Samaritan’s Purse.
As of September 16, the Ministry has mobilized and received commitments from 10 embassies and 16 international organizations, pledging a total of 160 tons of goods to be airlifted to Vietnam. All shipments arriving at Noi Bai Airport are being promptly transported to Yen Bai, Lao Cai, Cao Bang, Tuyen Quang and Lang Sơn provinces for timely distribution to people affected by the floods./.