Fierce natural disasters
Along the Central region, storms and floods have never been unfamiliar. Every year, every rainy and windy season, people anxiously look at the sky, worry about houses, fields, and lose sleep and appetite. Mildly, they lose property, heavily, they lose houses, lose livelihoods, even lives. People in the Central region are so familiar with storms and floods that they no longer call it unusual.
But the two historic natural disasters that occurred consecutively in November 2025 were very different, making people haunted.
The storm moved very quickly, with a tricky and unexpected direction with terrible destructive power. The flood rose quickly, exceeding all forecasts. Two fierce natural disasters swept away houses and property of people throughout the region. When the storm subsided, the flood receded, the desolate scene gradually became clear. Everywhere was mud, houses collapsed, lives torn apart, leaving behind gaps of irreparable loss.
New Gia Lai - the land merged from Binh Dinh and old Gia Lai - became the storm's center, the flood-stricken area of two historic natural disasters. In some places, the whole village only has dented corrugated iron roofs hanging precariously on the bare floor. In some families, the assets accumulated throughout their lives only have a few damaged items mixed in the rubble.
After the devastating natural disaster passed, the biggest concern was no longer the immediate meal, but the burning worry: Where will I be in the future?
Amidst that devastation, the entire political system intervened with the spirit of leaving no one behind. Authorities at all levels, the Army, Police, Fatherland Front, and mass organizations simultaneously appeared at the hotspots. Cars of gratitude from friendly provinces, businesses, and philanthropists stretched to the flood-stricken area, supporting people.
When the mud had not yet dried, more than 4,000 tons of national reserve rice rushed to the villages. Rice was divided equally, enough for flood-affected people to feel secure for many months, so that "food" was no longer a worry when the roof was still unfinished.
The first meal after the flood is no longer a meal to fight hunger. In the temporary house, the pot of white rice now smells of rice, the bowl of hot soup warms the heart after the rainy days. Young children stop shivering when they have dry clothes and warm blankets. That's all, in the winding house still smelling of mud, is enough for people in the flood-stricken area to recover, starting again from the rubble.
Revitalized Home
Immediately after the Prime Minister's inspection of flood centers, the "Quang Trung Campaign" was immediately launched - a special campaign, without gunfire but urgently and drastically.The order was to "Speedily rebuild homes for people in storm and flood areas before the Lunar New Year 2026".
The campaign was deployed simultaneously throughout the disaster area.Each house was assigned a specific completion milestone.Time was counted down by days and hours, so that people would not have to celebrate Tet with unfinished roofs.And in just over 1 month of deployment, more than 27,500 heavily damaged houses were repaired; 674 completely collapsed houses were completely newly built.The "no gunfire" campaign in Gia Lai was successful, reaching the finish line ahead of schedule.
The roof has just been completed, people in storm and flood areas have received more joy from the support of the Government and the Central Committee of the Vietnam Fatherland Front: Houses that collapsed were supported with 10 million VND, damaged houses received 5 million VND. Not much, but it came at the right time, enough for the house just built to have more warmth in the days leading up to Tet.
In Tuy Phuoc commune - the flood-stricken area with the heaviest damage - there were times when people did not dare to mention Tet. However, before the old year closed, 16 collapsed houses had been revived. Ms. Luong Thi Mai (born 1952, Phu My 3 village, Tuy Phuoc commune) still remembers vividly the day she returned after the storm. The house she had been attached to for a lifetime is just a pile of rubble. The two sons had to take their wives and children to their parents' house to rely on, while she - at the age of not having enough strength to start over - confined herself in the cramped bathroom, the rare assets left after the storm, to get through the day.
And in just 15 days, on the old land, Ms. Mai's 70m2 house was built in time, solid and spacious. On the day of moving into the new house, Ms. Mai stood for a long time in front of the family altar. She softly said: "So we have a house now", as if afraid that speaking loudly would break what had just come after so much loss.
And Mr. Nguyen Dinh Hieu (born 1966, residing in Liem Thuan village) on the day of moving into his new house carefully carried a picture of Uncle Ho and the red flag with a yellow star, placed in the most solemn position in the house just built.That is the warm home for his wife's younger brother, Mr. Pham Thanh Tu (born 1975, residing in Loc Ha village), who suffers from mental illness and has been taken care of by his wife and him for many years.
"This year's Tet is very special, because no one in our family dared to think there would be Tet," Mr. Hieu said emotionally.
The new houses are still empty, not yet fully prepared.But for people in the flood-stricken area, returning under a healthy roof, having a little extra money to prepare for the upcoming Tet, that is already warmth and fullness after a series of days of loss.
Special Spring
In the days leading up to the Binh Ngo Lunar New Year 2026, the flood center is bustling in a very different way. People clean up the house they just built, sweep the yard that is still plastered, and repair the altar for the first day of the year. Apricot branches and chrysanthemum pots are hastily placed in the corner of the house. Children run around the yard, laughter echoes, overshadowing the smell of new lime that has not yet faded.
This year's Tet is special for the people here, not because of the lavish feast, but because after the biggest losses of a person's life, they still celebrate Spring in their own home.
The rapidly revived roofs are clear evidence of the timely concern of the Party and State and the joint efforts of the entire community with people in disaster-stricken areas. Those were the days when the Army and Police were stationed in the area day and night, the synchronous involvement of all levels, sectors, the Fatherland Front and hearts from all over sent back.
Helpless tears in front of the rubble have now given way to smiles. People are starting to talk about the new crop, livelihoods and plans for the new year, next to the newly revived houses of gratitude.
This year's Tet comes to the flood center, not noisy, but warm. Warm because of human love, because of faith rebuilt from the most difficult days of life.
