As the death toll from flooding in central Vietnam rises to 41, the Caritas outreach arm of the Diocese of Da Nang brings food and supplies to flood-hit communities.
By LiCAS News
Caritas Da Nang has pushed into some of the most isolated flood-hit communities in central Vietnam as successive floods and landslides continue to devastate the region.
The social action arm of the Diocese of Da Nang said its teams have been “steadfast on the road” for nearly three weeks, combining urgent relief with early recovery efforts for people trapped by rising waters and collapsing mountain slopes.
In recent days, central provinces have “continued to bend under successive floods and severe landslides,” Caritas Da Nang reported, adding that water returned to communities that had only just begun to dry out.
Beginning on November 17, water levels in the Vu Gia and Thu Bon rivers climbed again to between alert level 2 and alert level 3, causing deep and widespread flooding.
Caritas teams have travelled through mud-clogged mountain routes to reach villages cut off for days.
Caritas Da Nang staff and parish volunteers distribute relief assistance to flood-affected families in an isolated village in Quang Nam province, where entire households were buried under landslide debris following weeks of heavy rain. Photo credit: Caritas Da Nang
In A Teep village in Quang Nam province, Caritas workers found the entire residential area of 15 ethnic minority households buried under thousands of cubic metres of earth and rock. Only rooftops remained above the mud.
Residents told the team that 10 homes were completely buried and five seriously damaged, but all 50 people survived after a timely evacuation.
During the same mission, Caritas delivered food to 76 families in a nearby hamlet that had been isolated for two weeks with nearly all reserves depleted.
In A Soo village, Caritas Da Nang director Father Simon and Father Joseph Pham Thanh Binh of Caritas Saigon brought food to 50 families stranded by landslides.
The organization also delivered a generator to the Tay Giang sub-parish of Dong Vinh Parish.
Across multiple districts, Caritas has been distributing warm clothing, blankets, mattresses, bicycles, food, and essential supplies through its Zero-Dong Supermarket model.
Families facing severe hardship, accident victims, and people with serious illnesses in parishes including Phu Huong, O Gia, Tien Phuoc, Phuoc Kieu, and Tam Thanh have received cash assistance.
With support from Caritas Saigon, nine generators have been delivered to several parishes and sub-parishes, and solar-powered water filtration units are being prepared for families facing long-term shortages of clean water.
Caritas Da Nang said its diocesan and parish units are working “with the desire to help families stabilize their lives as soon as possible,” and expressed gratitude to benefactors who have “always accompanied Caritas Da Nang on this journey of sharing and service.”
Nationwide crisis deepens
The Church’s response comes as Vietnam faces one of its deadliest flood disasters in years. Authorities said on Thursday that 41 people had been killed across six provinces since Sunday, while the search was continuing for nine others, according to the environment ministry.
More than 52,000 houses were flooded, nearly 62,000 people were evacuated, and one million customers lost electricity.
Relentless rain has lashed south-central Vietnam since late October. In Nha Trang, a major tourist destination, entire blocks disappeared under water, and hundreds of cars were submerged.
Caritas Da Nang volunteers distribute emergency cash assistance and relief supplies to elderly residents in a flood-affected parish in central Vietnam. Photo credit: Caritas Da Nang
State media reported rescuers using boats, prying open windows, and breaking through roofs to reach trapped residents in Gia Lai and Dak Lak.
Floodwaters swept 100 twenty-litre barrels of sulfuric acid from a sugar factory in Dak Lak, prompting warnings from the public security ministry.
Deputy Prime Minister Ho Quoc Dung ordered local leaders to mobilize the army, police, and security forces to “promptly relocate and evacuate people” to safety. Several train routes linking northern and southern Vietnam were suspended.
Vietnam’s national statistics office said natural disasters have left 279 people dead or missing and caused more than 2 billion US dollars in damage between January and October, with scientific evidence showing human-driven climate change intensifying extreme weather.
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