Pointing to the land on the hillside behind the house, Mr. Binh shared: A part of the auxiliary works was buried by soil and rocks during the September 2024 landslide; bamboo dust on the hillside has slid down to the house wall. Those traces are a reminder for the family about the unsafety of their current home....
Next to Mr. Pham Van Binh's house is the house of Ms. Tran Thi Lan and her husband, which is also under landslides. Having only been in a house for more than 2 years, Ms. Lan worried: "I know it is very dangerous but I have to be careful, the landslide behind the house has moved near the foot of the wall; every time it rains heavily, my husband and I don't dare to sleep, we have to take turns waking up, if there is a strange noise, we run outside the house".
Not only Mr. Binh and Ms. Lan's family, but many households with houses on the hillside are also living in fear of landslides.
"Since the landslide appeared on the hill above the residential area, many working groups have come to survey and propose solutions, but things have not improved. Every time it rains heavily, I have to call people to remind them to temporarily evacuate, said Ms. Le Thi Hue, Head of Phu Hung Village, Thong Nhat Commune.
In the early morning of June 26, in Group 15, Dong Tam Ward, Lao Cai Province, a landslide occurred, burying a house in Lane 1026, Dien Bien Street, killing a 10th grade male student.
Ms. Le Thu Hien (a local resident) said that this was the second time she had witnessed a landslide or house collapse in the area.
According to Ms. Hien, on both sides of the hills, there are many cracks and breaks from storm No. 3, with a high risk of landslides. Many families had to leave their homes and move to other places because they were afraid of landslides.
"Every time there is heavy rain, we prepare our luggage and move out of the house to ensure safety. During the storm and flood, the authorities created conditions for families to cut the slope and lower it because the hill behind showed signs of landslides. However, some families have not agreed, so they have only been able to handle the landslide and have not been able to lower it. Now, every time it rains heavily, rocks and soil flow down, and there is a risk of collapsing at any time, said Ms. Hien.
Regarding this issue, Lao Cai provincial leaders requested departments, branches and localities to continue to direct and organize implementation with a spirit of urgency, not to be passive or surprised in responding to natural disasters.
At the same time, propagate, mobilize and relocate households in areas at risk of landslides to ensure safety of life and property.
According to the review results of the authorities, in 2024, the whole province had 17,252 houses affected by floods; damage of about 807 billion VND; 403 landslides with high risk of affecting residential areas with more than 5,000 households needing to move their houses to safe places.
