This aerial photo shows floodwaters engulfing and submerging homes in Ben Voi village on the outskirts of Hanoi on July 28, 2024. On August 20, a charity warned that thousands of children in northern Vietnam would struggle to return to school as flash floods and landslides damaged homes, destroyed crops and cut off several communities in the region. File | Photo credit: AFP
Thousands of children in northern Vietnam will have difficulty returning to school as flash floods and landslides have damaged homes, destroyed crops and cut off many communities in the region, a charity warned on Tuesday (August 20, 2024).
The northern part of the country experienced a very rainy summer, and the mountainous regions in the northwest were particularly badly affected by heavy rainfall and flash flooding from early July onwards.
“Nearly 29,000 houses have been damaged and 90,000 hectares of crops have been destroyed,” Vietnam’s General Statistics Office said late last month.
According to Save the Children, about 1.3 million people have been affected in Son La province, with flooding destroying bridges and badly damaging roads in rural areas.
According to Vietnam’s disaster officials, eleven people were killed in the region and about 2,670 houses and 29 school buildings were damaged.
Save the Children said 4,500 children would face “safety challenges” when trying to return to school in early September.
“Recovery will take many months and without immediate intervention, these children may face many dangers,” Le Thi Thanh Huong, country director for Save the Children Vietnam, said in a statement.
“The road leading to the school is very bad, with landslides and broken bridges making travel difficult. Children have to cross rivers to go to school,” said Ha Cong Minh, principal of a school in Son La province, according to the charity.
According to Vietnam’s General Statistics Office, floods caused about $85 million in damage in the first seven months of the year, double that of the previous year.
“During that period, 91 people were killed or went missing due to adverse weather conditions,” it said.
Vietnam often experiences heavy rains between June and November, triggering floods and landslides. Scientists have warned that extreme weather events are becoming more intense and frequent globally due to climate change.