Against All Odds: Overseas Vietnamese Brave Storms and Floods to Return Home
Overseas Vietnamese Unite to Support Flood Victims in Northern Provinces
The devastating floods in northern Vietnam have not only affected the local population but have also touched the hearts of millions of overseas Vietnamese. From all over the world, they have been following the developments of the storms and floods, joining hands to organize fundraising activities to support people in the affected areas.
Hearts from Afar
Storm No. 3 (Yagi) has caused severe flooding in many northern provinces of Vietnam, making people’s lives more difficult. In Spain, Ms. Tran Thi Thu Thuy, a Vietnamese expatriate originally from Yen Bai, has been constantly monitoring the storm and flood situation. In the first days after the storm hit, she stayed up all night, worried that she could not contact her family because the floodwaters had isolated the area.
Thuy’s father’s house is located on a steep slope, so luckily it was not flooded, but the power outage and her phone running out of battery prevented her from calling home. Even though she was far away and could not go back to help, she still asked friends and acquaintances to provide food for her family. This helped her feel somewhat secure, but her worries continued to weigh heavily as the situation in her hometown had not cooled down.
Not only following the news, Ms. Thuy and a group of friends in Spain also organized a fundraiser to collect money and supplies to send back to support people in flood-affected areas.
Ms. Hoang Thi Hai Ha, representative of the Association of Vietnamese Women and Children in the United Kingdom, also had sleepless nights worrying about her family in Hai Phong and Quang Ninh. Although her family is safe, she still cannot help but feel heartbroken at the devastation left by the floods in many northern provinces.
“At times like these, the feeling of being away from home becomes even heavier. I love my homeland more, but I am also more helpless because I can only watch from afar,” Ms. Ha shared. Not willing to sit still, she stood up and called on the Vietnamese community in the UK to donate and support people in the North to share some of the losses.
Connecting Love from All Over the World
In Gwangju-Chonnam (South Korea), Nguyen Phong Viet, a Vietnamese expatriate originally from Hanoi, continuously followed the news of the storm and flood through the media. The images of rescuers and militiamen who risked their lives to help people in the North moved him.
“Seeing people in the Central region staying up all night to wrap banh chung and send it to the North, I realized that the spirit of mutual love of the Vietnamese people is always present, even in the most difficult times,” Mr. Viet shared.
He and the Executive Committee of the Vietnamese Association in Gwangju-Chonnam quickly organized a fundraising campaign to support people in the flood-hit areas. The gifts, though small, are the hearts of overseas Vietnamese living far away, hoping to help reduce some of the difficulties that our compatriots are facing.
The Vietnamese Students Association in Korea (VSAK) has also launched a campaign to call for donations to support the affected people.
In New Zealand, Ms. Nguyen Thi Thu Huong, an overseas Vietnamese originally from Hai Duong, called on international friends to donate through the website “Give a little”. Ms. Huong said that even small donations help ease the burden of people in flooded areas.
Currently, Ms. Huong has gathered a group of volunteers ready to go to the flooded area to distribute necessities, life jackets, swimming boats, and warm clothes to the people.
Meanwhile, Doan Ba Toai, a graduate student at Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University in China, spent many sleepless nights worrying about his family in Hai Duong. When the power outage made it impossible to contact them, his worries became even heavier. Only when he received news that his family was safe did he finally breathe a sigh of relief.
“I have spent my own money to buy 600 life jackets from Guangzhou to send to the flooded areas. Even though I am far away, I still want to do something practical to support my fellow countrymen,” said Toai. He also called on Vietnamese students in China to donate more dry food to help isolated people.
The solidarity of overseas Vietnamese everywhere has clearly demonstrated the spirit of solidarity and turning towards the homeland in difficult times. Contributions, big or small, are a valuable source of encouragement, helping people in flood-hit areas overcome challenges and soon stabilize their lives.