First international aid shipment arrives at Noi Bai, directly to Yen Bai

Ms Vu Thi Hien Hanh, Vice Chairwoman of the Provincial People’s Committee, represented Yen Bai Province in receiving this shipment. Also present at Noi Bai Airport to witness the handover ceremony was the Australian Ambassador to Vietnam, Mr. Andrew Goledzinowski. Standing at the foot of the C17 of the Royal Australian Air Force, Vice Chairwoman Vu Thi Hien Hanh expressed her deep gratitude for the Australian aid sent to Vietnam, particularly to Yen Bai.

"We are deeply touched because these items are critically needed by the people of Yen Bai at this time, especially after having just endured a prolonged period of flooding," Ms Vu Thi Hien Hanh told Ambassador Andrew Goledzinowski.

Vice Chairwoman Vu Thi Hien Hanh and Ambassador Andrew Goledzinowski took a photo with the Royal Australian Air Force personnel alongside the Australian aid supplies.

On behalf of Australia, Ambassador Andrew Goledzinowski emphasized: “Vietnam has many friends, and Australia is one of them.” He noted that the relief supplies provided represented the Australian Government and people’s desire to support Vietnam in overcoming the aftermath of disasters.

The Australian Aid shipment was transported by the country’s C17 military aircraft from Amberley Air Force Base. The shipment, valued at nearly 49,000 AUD and weighing over 8 tons, arrived at Noi Bai Airport at 6:30 p.m. It included 264 personal hygiene kits, 120 kitchen sets, 600 blankets, 264 home repair kits, 600 sleeping mats, 522 tarpaulins, and 360 mosquito nets.

Due to time constraints, immediately after the handover, Vice Chairwoman of the People’s Committee, Ms Vu Thi Hien Hanh, assigned the Yen Bai Provincial Youth Union to take charge of receiving and transporting the Australian aid supplies to the localities.

Ms. Vu Thi Hien Hanh shared that once the Australian Aid supplies return to the province, the authorities will arrange for distribution to the grassroots according to the specific needs of each area by the following morning. Overwhelmed with emotion, she expressed her hope to welcome Ambassador Goledzinowski to visit Yen Bai in the near future, when the province has overcome the challenges brought by typhoon Yagi (Storm No. 3 in Vietnam).

International support for Vietnam to overcome typhoon Yagi's impacts

The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development has reached out and received commitments from multiple international organizations to provide emergency relief to those affected by Storm No. 3.

In addition to the Australian Aid supplies, the ASEAN Coordinating Centre for Humanitarian Assistance on Disaster Management (AHA Centre) has sent 2,002 household kits containing items such as plastic buckets, water bags, towels, T-shirts, mosquito nets, candles, and FM radios. 

They have also provided 1,008 home repair tool sets, including ropes, hand saws, metal nails, shovels, hoes, scissors, corner nails, zip ties, and hammers; and 1,015 kitchen tool sets containing pots, bowls, plates, knives, spoons, forks, cups, and wooden ladles. 

Additionally, there are 3,031 personal hygiene kits with items such as laundry detergent, sanitary napkins, handkerchiefs, toothbrushes, toothpaste, soap, and shampoo.

The AHA Centre’s aid is expected to arrive at Noi Bai International Airport between September 13 and 14, 2024.

On the Japanese side, JICA (Japan International Cooperation Agency) is providing 40 portable water purifiers, which include pump filters and ceramic filter cores with a filtration speed of 4 liters per minute and a maximum filtration capacity of 100,000 liters. In addition, JICA is supplying 200 multi-purpose tarpaulins made of HDPE plastic, each measuring 50x4 meters.

JICA’s aid is expected to arrive at Noi Bai International Airport around September 16-17, 2024.

The Department of Dyke Management and Natural Disaster Prevention and Control, under the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, will receive the aid supplies from international organizations at Noi Bai Airport. They will coordinate the transportation and handover to localities to facilitate distribution to the affected communities.

The U.S. Mission to Vietnam announced today, through the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), is providing $1 million in immediate humanitarian aid to support Vietnam’s efforts to respond to the devastating impacts of Typhoon Yagi. The assistance will be allocated to humanitarian partners to enable the provision of multipurpose cash assistance, shelter, water, sanitation, and hygiene assistance, as well as non-food items in support of Government of Vietnam-led disaster assistance efforts nationwide.

Earlier, on September 10 afternoon, the Embassy of Kazakhstan it would support Vietnam with 100,000 USD to overcome typhoon Yagi's impacts. President of Kazakhstan, Mr Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, sent a letter of condolences to General Secretary, President To Lam and the Vietnamese people for the consequences of typhoon Yagi.

On September 7, Typhoon Yagi made landfall over Northern Vietnam, one of the most powerful the country has witnessed in decades with adverse impacts to 26 provinces. As of September 10, the typhoon and torrential rain in its aftermath have caused flooding, landslides, and infrastructure collapse that have killed 143 people with more than 800 injured and 58 missing, and as of September 9, damaged or destroyed some 48,000 homes and approximately 455,000 acres (~184,000 hectares) of agricultural land.