Vietnamese families rebuild from scratch after historic flood leaves them homeless

Among them was Duong Thi Lien, who fled her collapsing house with her two children, and the family of dogs they refused to abandon.

As the water surged into their 20-year-old home in Vu Chan Hamlet, Lien frantically stacked chairs onto the bed to lift their refrigerator, believing it would be like last year when the flood only reached the yard. But within minutes, water was knee-deep.

Duong Thi Lien (L) and her daughter in front of their house, where they could not return to after the flood which has left major cracks on the walls, October 2025. Photo by Phong Linh

"Run!" she shouted to her children. Her 17-year-old son and 14-year-old daughter scooped up the puppies, while she held onto the mother dog. Together, they scrambled up the nearby hill as their home disappeared beneath the brown, churning flood.

When the water finally receded nearly a week later, all that remained was a broken shell: cracked walls, a sunken floor and furniture buried under thick mud. Their wooden cabinet had collapsed, their belongings lay scattered, and their small rice field, ready for harvest, had been ruined.

"They call this the unlucky age of 49," Lien said, managing a faint smile. "But what hardship haven't I already lived through?"

Seven years ago, her husband died of bone cancer, leaving her to raise two children alone. Her modest income from cleaning work barely reaches VND6 million ($240) a month. Now, the family stays temporarily with her brother while waiting for support to rebuild.

Duong Thi Lien's house in Thai Nguyen Province has been severely damaged after severe flooding. Photo by Phong Linh

Just a few hamlets away, 54-year-old Truong Thi Hoat sifted through the wreckage of her own home, her hands trembling as she searched for a small plastic-wrapped bundle of cash. It held VND10 million (US$380), her entire savings from months of hauling mortar, but the money was gone.

The homes of Hoat and Lien were among six in Diem Thuy Commune severely damaged by the historic flood caused by Typhoon Matmo. Hoat's house collapsed completely, while Lien’s was left cracked and sinking, nearly unlivable.

"I wrapped it in three layers of plastic and hid it deep in the wardrobe," Hoat said, "thinking it would be safe through the rainy season."

That evening, the river had reached the third flood alarm. Soldiers and locals worked through the night to reinforce the dikes. When Hoat came home, the water was still below the dike, so she rested, planning to pack later. By the time she woke, her house was flooded. She and her nephew rushed to move what they could: the refrigerator and eight sacks of rice, to a neighbor's home. Minutes later, a violent surge collapsed her gate. She wanted to swim back for the cash, but local militiamen stopped her.

"It was too dangerous," she recalled.

Truong Thi Hoat (L) salvages what's left of her house, which was built in 1984. Photo by Phong Linh

When the water drained, her 40-year-old home was almost gone, just one crumbling wall and a few roof tiles clinging to the rafters. She found three dented pots and an aluminum tray lodged in a ditch. Her cornfield was flattened, and her small vegetable patch destroyed. With no close family nearby, she now stays with a distant relative in the same commune while spending her days collecting bricks and tiles to rebuild.

"I’ve been unlucky since birth," she said quietly. Her parents split up before she was born; her mother died when she was one. Raised by her grandmother in a small riverside home, she’s lived alone for two decades since the old woman passed away. Illiterate and poor, she took any job she could find.

"Whether life is heavy or light, I carry it alone," she said, her voice trembling. "No one will take it from me, and I have no one to carry it for."

A tray and several pots are all the things that Truong Thi Hoat manages to salvage after the flood. Photo by Phong Linh

According to Thai Thi Quyen, chairwoman of the Diem Thuy Commune Fatherland Front Committee, authorities have moved families with damaged homes into relatives' houses while seeking funding for reconstruction.

"The floodwaters rose beyond imagination, some places were submerged up to 2.5 meters," she said. The local government and organizations have provided VND30–50 million in aid per family, with commitments to help rebuild using donated materials and labor.

Diem Thuy Commune, home to 41,000 residents, saw more than 2,100 households deeply flooded, roughly a quarter of the population. Now that the water has receded, the real struggle begins: rebuilding homes, restoring crops and reinforcing dikes before the Lunar New Year, which is less than four months away.

In recent weeks, Hoat has been gathering debris to rebuild her home, which will stand on the same land but raised higher and reinforced. The cost will be covered by donations from local groups and kindhearted people who learned of her story.

"I just want to get back on my feet soon," she said, "so I can work and repay the kindness I've been shown."

Lien's two children have returned to school, and she continues working at the factory to cover their expenses. Her old house remains locked, a husk of what it once was. She visits sometimes, though she admits "there’s nothing left worth keeping."

With about VND40 million collected from donations, she plans to borrow more to rebuild a small home, just enough for the three of them, and the dogs who survived the flood with them.