Oxfam participates in Rapid Assessment of damages caused by Storms No. 10 and 11
From October 10–12, 2025, Oxfam joined a joint field mission led by the Department of Dyke Management and Disaster Prevention under the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment, in collaboration with international organizations and UN agencies, to assess areas severely affected by floods in Thai Nguyen and Bac Ninh provinces.
Survey locations: Dan Tien commune, Linh Son ward, and Trung Thanh ward (Thai Nguyen); My Thai and Yen The communes (Bac Ninh). At both sites, Storms No. 10 and 11 caused severe destruction.
According to Mr. Duong Van Hao, Deputy Director of the Thai Nguyen Department of Agriculture and Environment, as of October 10:
- 8,879 hectares of crops were flooded or damaged (out of a total of 45,000 hectares across the province);
- 246,558 poultry, 3,181 pigs, and numerous other livestock perished;
- Over 200,000 homes were flooded or damaged, affecting approximately 800,000 people.
In Bac Ninh, the floodwaters have begun to recede, allowing local authorities to continue damage assessments and develop recovery plans.
The assessment team visited the household of Mr. Đỗ Thế Vương (65, Tay ethnic group) and Mrs. Trương Thị Phương (66, San Diu ethnic group) in Yen The Commune, Bac Ninh Province. They shared that from the night of 7 October to the morning of 8 October, the flood rose too quickly, submerging their house above the roof. All belongings and equipment were completely damaged. Their garden was destroyed, with nothing salvageable. Thanks to good protection of their borehole well, the couple had a water source for use immediately after the floodwaters receded.
As of 11 October 2025, when the assessment team conducted the visit, Tan Thanh Kindergarten in My Thai Commune, Bac Ninh Province, remained heavily flooded.
Vo Nhai Kindergarten, in Dan Tien Commune, Thai Nguyen Province, was severely flooded due to the aftermath of Storm No. 11.
Flooding has severely impacted all aspects of daily life. Major challenges include:
▪️ Overlapping storms and floods occurring just before harvest season have devastated yields, with some households losing 30–50% of their crops. There is a risk of food shortages over the next two to three months, especially among poor households dependent on agriculture and livestock.
▪️ Power outages have led to severe water shortages. Many flood-affected residents rely on stored water and bottled water supplied by volunteers. Transporting clean water, food, and essential supplies to isolated communities remains extremely difficult.
▪️ Several communes and villages remain inundated, raising risks of waterborne diseases such as conjunctivitis, skin infections, and diarrhea
▪️ Houses have been flooded or collapsed. Floods and strong winds have damaged walls, roofs, and swept away essential household items and appliances.
▪️ Transportation disruptions have isolated many areas. Education and childcare services—especially for preschool and primary students—remain suspended due to damaged facilities and poor conditions.
Mrs. Thân Thị Thiện, 80, recounted the historic flood. Water level marks remain visible on the walls. Her house was severely damaged, and all of her belongings were swept away.
Many students’ books and school supplies were swept away or left covered in mud.
The floods caused severe inundation at the Dan Tien Commune Health Station in Thai Nguyen Province, resulting in significant damage to medical equipment and supplies. At present, as the doctor has recently retired, the station has only five staff members, who are prioritising post-flood clean-up and distributing disinfectant chemicals to village health workers to support local communities.
Immediate and longer-term needs identified include:
Short-term:
• Provide non-food household items to meet diverse needs of affected populations;
• Deliver multi-purpose cash assistance to empower beneficiaries and stimulate local economic recovery;
• Supply school materials and equipment such as books, desks, computers, televisions, kitchen tools, and canteen utensils.
Medium-term:
• Repair and restore clean water and sanitation systems;
• Rehabilitate agricultural production through land restoration and irrigation canal repair;
• Provide seeds (rice, maize, peanuts) and livestock to support production recovery, especially restocking poultry;
• Conduct hygiene education and safe water practices at community and school levels to prevent water-related diseases.
Long-term:
• Develop integrated and sustainable disaster adaptation and climate resilience solutions;
• Strengthen local capacity following the “four on-the-spot” principle: on-site command, on-site forces, on-site resources, and on-site logistics;
• Scale up community storm shelters;
• Establish gender-disaggregated damage data systems and mechanisms to report and respond to gender-based violence in disaster contexts.