VnExpress seeks donations to aid flood-stricken central Vietnam

When the floodwaters rose on October 12 in Thua Thien-Hue Province, Hoang Thi Phuong, a textile worker in Phong Dien District, went into labor.

Her husband tried to take her to hospital, but their motorbike could not cross a flooded section of National Highway 1A. In desperation, he asked a person with a boat to take his wife to the other side.

But the boat capsized just 20 meters from safety. Both Phuong and her unborn baby died.

"I killed you," her husband sobbed inconsolably, down on his knees in front of the raging floods that had snatched away his loved ones.

They are not the only victims of the tragedy that has befallen central Vietnam in the last two weeks. Dozens of others, including at least two hydropower plant workers and 13 members of a rescue team, lost their lives to landslides in Thua Thien-Hue.

In the last 10 days nonstop rain and floods have submerged entire regions under a sea of water and triggered massive landslides in mountainous areas.

Hundreds of thousands of houses have been engulfed, and the death toll has been rising relentlessly.

Thousands of families face food and water shortages, and the floods do not seem likely to recede any time soon.

As fighters on the frontlines in a battle against nature, soldiers, doctors, rescuers, and thousands of others have had to take on the harsh and unrelenting elements.

What they need right now are boats, medicines, food, clothes, rescue equipment, and other supplies.

The Hope Foundation by VnExpress and FPT is calling for emergency support for millions of people in central Vietnam. We are soliciting help from every person and every section of the community, and trying to find the quickest way to help those in need right now.

We will directly handle all donations and be transparent about how your donations are used.

For more information on how to donate, click here.