The other day I returned to Xuan Thanh Sea Tourist Area, I remember the day of working in storm No. 5 (storming on the night of August 25, early morning of August 26, 2025). That day, I and my colleague reporter reported to my friend to Xuan Thanh Tourist Area to prepare to update information and work on the storm. Because, according to forecasts, the storm's eye is expected to make landfall in this area.
We 3 brothers rented a room at a budget motel on Xuan Thanh beach. From about 5 pm on August 25, the wind was very strong, some branches in front of the motel after a while of being knocked down by the wind broke.
Continuously updating information, until after 11 pm, feeling hungry, we had to risk going downstairs to ask the motel owner to mix a pack of instant noodles for us. Fortunately, the kind and enthusiastic motel owner got up, turned on the gas stove, boiled water, and so we had a meal of instant noodles mixed together in a large pot that was really delicious. After eating, the three brothers all felt that they rarely eat instant noodles that are so delicious.
The storm raged continuously throughout the night. In the morning, I saw a corner of the corrugated iron roof of the guesthouse being swept away by the storm and thrown into the yard. A glass door was also knocked down by the storm, thrown into the yard, and the glass was shattered. At this time, the wind gradually weakened, signs of the storm had passed, we immediately packed our luggage and went to work, updating information and images of damage caused by the storm.
Nearly a month after storm No. 5, storm No. 10 landed again in Ha Tinh with a similar scenario in terms of time. This storm landed from the night of the 28th to near dawn on September 29th. Before the storm, from the afternoon of September 28th, I and some colleagues informed friends that we had rented a room on the 5th floor of the Border Guard guesthouse on Xuan Hai beach, Loc Ha commune as a temporary accommodation point for operations.
Power outage, the storm raged all night until morning. Just at dawn, we woke up to go to work, recording images of the damage after the storm subsided. Unexpectedly, when getting off to pick up the car, I was startled to see that the car garage had been knocked down by the storm. Suddenly thinking, my car was crushed. Luckily, when I crawled inside, I saw that the iron pile, when it collapsed, was also supporting, so the roof system lightly pressed close to my car. The car was only slightly dented.
At this time, I called for the border guards to come and support me to fight against the collapsed roof. Then I held my breath, went in from the back door and approached the driver's seat to start the engine and reverse the car. When the car left the tilted roof, I breathed a sigh of relief and was happy because I still had a car to drive to work in this urgent and topical situation.
The damage caused by storms No. 5 and No. 10 in 2025 has not been completely overcome until now, and the 2026 rainy and storm season is approaching. Many seasons of rain and storm operations have passed, but the memories of 2 operations in storm No. 5 and No. 10 are unforgettable for me. It must be related to my "war horse" that I have such an impression!
