UK pledges $649,000 in central Vietnam flood relief

Over the past month, central Vietnam has faced severe flooding and landslides triggered by numerous storms and tropical depressions. At least 235 people have either died or been reported missing, with economic damage estimated at around VND17 trillion ($734.67 million), the government stated Tuesday.

The lives of over 1.3 million people in the region have been affected as floodwater submerged nearly 300,000 homes.

The relief aid, earmarked for the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies via British Red Cross Society, would help scale up activities to provide shelter, clean water, food and support livelihoods for up to 160,000 people affected in Vietnam, the U.K. Embassy in Hanoi said in a statement.

"The impacts of this year’s typhoon season have been devastating. On behalf of the U.K., I send my condolences to the people of central Vietnam for the tragic loss of life and the large-scale destruction of property," said Gareth Ward, British ambassador to Vietnam, as cited in the statement.

Last month, the Vietnamese government had granted over VND1 trillion, over 11,500 tons of rice and other essential items in relief support to some of the worst-hit central provinces.

Besides, Australia provided over $71,000 in immediate humanitarian assistance to those affected by flooding in central Vietnam. The U.S., in turn, granted $100,000 to Vietnam Red Cross Society to support vulnerable communities in areas most affected by tropical Storm Linfa, the sixth tropical storm to hit the country in 2020, having made landfall on October 11.

Natural disasters, predominantly flooding and landslides triggered by storms, killed 132 people and injured 207 others in Vietnam last year.

The South China Sea, which it calls the East Sea, could see 11-13 storms and tropical depressions this year, with half forecast to affect Vietnam, meteorologists warn.