Da Nang is developing a plan to apply UAVs in areas at risk of deep flooding and fragmentation during the rainy and storm season.
Notably, the UAV's flight path will be pre-programmed to serve reconnaissance, search and rescue and transport necessities to places that are unavailable by road.
UAVs are not a completely new means of rescue in Vietnam. Previously, flycams and UAVs were mobilized in some landslides and flash floods to observe the scene, search for missing people or assist in assessing dangerous areas.
Typically, in 2020, at the Rao Trang 3 hydropower landslide in Thua Thien Hue (old), rescue forces used flycams with thermal imaging cameras to support the search for missing people. In the same year, at the Tra Leng landslide in Quang Nam (old), thermal sensor flycams were also mobilized to serve the search work.
During the floods after Typhoon Yagi in 2024 in Thai Nguyen, drones were also used to survey flooded areas and transport necessities to isolated households, in some places 5-7km from the starting point.
These cases show that UAVs not only have the effect of observation from above, but can also directly support rescue, relief and supplies in traffic congestion conditions.
Da Nang's inclusion of UAVs in disaster response scenarios is a new approach, with UAVs being considered as a capacity that needs to be included in regular response plans, instead of just being mobilized when an incident has occurred.
This is very practical and necessary, because in rain and floods, there will be isolated residential areas, roads will be cut off, and rescue forces will find it difficult to access. UAVs can quickly observe from above, identify deep flooded areas, the location of people in need of support, and suitable access routes. With appropriate equipment, UAVs can also transport medicines, food, or some essential items to isolated areas.
More importantly, remote observation also helps reduce the risk for rescue forces when they do not clearly understand the terrain, flow or landslide location.
Of course, putting UAVs into rescue is not simply buying equipment and using it. Because to make UAVs fly when needed, there must be a trained operator, with batteries and backup power, communication, and equipment maintenance mode.
Flight paths, take-off and landing points, and reconnaissance priority areas also need to be identified and drilled. UAV operations are also related to airspace management, vehicle registration, flight operations and conditions for operators.
These issues show that rescue UAVs need to be organized into a professional capacity, with clear management focal points, and cannot be bought and used arbitrarily.
It is also not necessary for each commune and ward to buy UAVs. But localities that regularly face floods, flash floods, and landslides should consider building appropriate UAV capacity, which can be organized at the provincial and city levels or by region, assigning specialized forces to manage, operate and coordinate when situations arise.
In disaster response, having more UAVs will help rescue forces quickly identify where people are trapped, areas that are being isolated, or routes that can still be accessed to organize rescue and timely supplies.
Besides canoes, life jackets, information equipment and traditional rescue vehicles, it is time not only for Da Nang but also for all localities at high risk of natural disasters to proactively build UAV use capacity suitable to their conditions, by making UAVs a constant means of rescue for the locality.
When technology is well prepared and placed in the right place in the rescue system, each minute of shortening the time to access the scene can mean another chance to save people's lives.
