Storm No. 3 Leaves Devastating Impact on Livestock Farmers in Northern Vietnam

The recent storm has left millions of dead chickens and pigs in its wake, causing tens of billions of dong in losses for farmers in northern Vietnam. The devastating impact of the storm has left many farmers on the brink of bankruptcy, with some crying over the loss of their life’s work.

According to the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, the storm swept through the region, leaving pig and chicken farm owners unable to react. As of September 14, nearly 21,800 livestock and 2.62 million poultry had died, causing heavy losses for farmers.

The provinces with the most livestock and poultry deaths include Hai Phong, Hai Duong, Thai Nguyen, Quang Ninh, and Hanoi. In recent days, after the floodwaters receded, many farms were littered with dead chickens and pigs. Some places had to call for support to sell these products, as the barns were so badly damaged that they could not be restored immediately.

Farmer’s Losses Mount

In Bai Gia area, Tam Xa commune (Dong Anh, Hanoi), Mr. Hoang Ngoc Doan looked blankly at the few chickens left after the historic flood. In the 2.6ha farm with 7 rows of cages that he has built over the past 14 years, there are still dead chickens and scattered eggs that have not been picked up yet.

Mr. Doan’s farm raised 80,000 egg-laying hens and pullets, but now almost all of them are dead. He confided that on the evening of September 9, he proactively went to the dike to check the water level when he heard about heavy rain and floods. Seeing that the water was only 2 meters away from reaching the dike, he planned to move the chickens on the farm to a higher location the next day.

However, the water continued to rise, and the chicken coop was soon submerged. Everyone’s efforts were only able to save nearly 10,000 chickens, while the rest had to watch them drown in the floodwaters. Before the flood, he earned 100 million VND per day from selling chicken eggs. “Now there is nothing left, all my assets are gone,” he shared sadly.

Pig Farmers Also Affected

In Tuy Lap commune (Yen Bai city), dead pigs are scattered across fields, village roads, and river banks. At a pig farm with a scale of 5,000 pigs, only 50 are still alive. The rest have been swept away by floodwaters and lie dead in their pens.

Ms. Tran Thi Vinh, Director of Hoa Binh Minh Agricultural Project in Tuy Lap commune, shared her story with Nong Nghiep Viet Nam newspaper. She could not hold back her tears, sobbing and saying: “The whole farm only has 50 pigs left alive. The loss is too great, now I don’t know what to do.”

Despite having reinforced the barns, the flood was too great. The flood came and went, the barns collapsed, nearly 5,000 pigs drowned. The estimated damage at Ms. Vinh’s farm was up to tens of billions of dong.

Future Uncertain for Farmers

Storm No. 3 has passed, leaving farmers with collapsed barns and millions of chickens and pigs dead. Many livestock farmers in some northern provinces are in dire straits, at risk of bankruptcy. Because all their assets have been swept away, and the debt they have to bear has become even heavier.

As the farmers struggle to come to terms with their losses, the future looks uncertain. Will they be able to recover from this devastating blow, or will the storm prove to be the final nail in the coffin for their livelihoods?