The Department of Dyke Management and Natural Disaster Prevention (Ministry of Agriculture and Environment) has just sent an official dispatch to the Department of Agriculture and Environment of Thanh Hoa province on the implementation of the work of ensuring the safety of dykes to cope with floods on the Ma River.
The document clearly stated that according to the bulletin of the National Center for Hydro-Meteorological Forecasting, the flood in the upper reaches of the Ma River is currently rising rapidly; from the evening of August 1 to August 3, a flood appeared on the Ma River, the flood peak in the upper reaches reached level 3, the central and downstream stations reached level 1 - level 2, some places above level 2. To ensure the safety of the dyke system and proactively respond to floods, the Department of Dyke Management and Natural Disaster Prevention and Control requests the Department of Agriculture and Environment of Thanh Hoa to direct relevant units to urgently implement a number of the following contents:
Check, review and implement on site the dike protection plan, protect key dyke points, locations where incidents have occurred but have not been handled or remedied, and dyke works under construction to ensure safety.
Strengthen inspection work on dykes, strictly implement patrolling and guarding to protect dykes during the flood season according to the provisions of Circular No. 01/2009/TT-BNN dated January 6, 2009 of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (now the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment) to promptly detect and handle incidents and situations that may occur right from the first hour.
Prepare human resources, materials, means, and equipment to protect the dykes; at the same time, inspect the actual preparation work and proactively respond to incidents and situations that may arise according to the "4 on-site" motto, ensuring safety for dykes.
Closely monitor the development of floods and the situation of the dyke system, promptly report the dyke incidents to the Department of Dyke Management and Natural Disaster Prevention and Control for coordination and direction.
Also according to the Department of Dyke Management and Natural Disaster Prevention, the water level at Xa La hydrological station on the Ma River (Son La province) at 6:00 p.m. on August 1, 2025 was at 283.60m, 2.10m higher than BD3; the flood that peaked at 4:00 p.m. on August 1 was 284.95m, 0.33m lower than the historical flood (in 1975). The water level is currently decreasing.
Regarding damage: According to a quick report from the Executive Committee of Dien Bien province, Son La heavy rain on the night of July 31 and the morning of August 1 caused floods, flash floods, and landslides, causing damage as follows:
a) Dien Bien Province
- Regarding people: 10 dead, missing (09 dead, 01 missing). Reduced 02 due to finding missing and injured people.
- Home: 60 houses were swept away and severely damaged in Xa Dung and Ta Dinh communes; 171 houses were flooded and landslides caused damage in Muong Luan, Na Son, Tuan Giao and Phinh Giang communes.
- Regarding traffic: Many roads in Xa Dung commune were flooded and jammed; National Highway 12 through Muong Luan commune was completely flooded; many roads in Na Bung, Muong Phang, Na Son, and Tia Dinh communes were flooded, landslides, and cars and motorbikes could not pass.
b) Son La province
- Returning home: 05 houses were swept away (Muong Lan: 04; Sop Cop: 01).
- Regarding traffic: Many roads in Phung Banh commune were eroded and congested; National Highway 12 through Bo Sinh, Muong Lam, and Song Ma communes was flooded 1.2-1,6m; some suspension bridges were swept away in Phung Banh, Chieng So, and Muong Lam communes. 14 villages are isolated in Phung Banh and Chieng So communes.
- Regarding relocation: relocate people and property of 70 households in Phung Banh, Muong Lam, Chieng Khoong communes; relocate 02 isolated households (01 households/ 8 people in Muong Hung commune, by helicopter; 01 household/ 8 people in Sop Cop commune) to safe places. Localities have mobilized forces to overcome the consequences, search for missing people, help the victims' families, evacuate people and property to safe places; continue to count and summarize the damage.
