Markets in Nghe An are urgently cleaning up and repairing to soon stabilize trading after storm No. 10.

Drainage, disinfection, and bringing Vinh market back into operation

As the largest wholesale market in Nghe An, Vinh market is not only a bustling trading place for thousands of small traders but also a place to supply food for the city and many neighboring districts.

The recent storm No. 10 left a lot of damage to this market. However, just 2 days after the storm, the scene at Vinh market was completely different. From early morning, hundreds of traders returned, some clearing each bag of trash, some rearranging tables and chairs, some hurriedly setting up canvas frames to be able to reopen for business. The sound of bamboo brooms, hammers, and encouraging conversations filled the rows of stalls.

Ms. Nguyen Thi Mai, a dry goods vendor at Tay Communal House in Vinh Market, said while using a broom to wipe the water: "Everyone suffers during a storm, but if the market is closed, people will suffer even more. No matter how much loss there is, we will rebuild it. Only with a stall and a market will there be customers and food."

Vinh Market Management Board has also taken urgent action. Mr. Nguyen Huu Dac - Head of the Market Management Board said: "The Market Management Board has mobilized all forces, coordinated with local authorities to clear sewers, collect waste, and spray disinfectant. Pumps have been increased and put into continuous operation to prevent flooding, mobilized forces to set up effective water barriers, helping trading areas dry soon."

Many small traders also proactively responded before the storm: Valuable goods were moved home, kiosks were tied down, and furniture was placed high to avoid mold. Thanks to that, when the storm swept through, the damage was significantly reduced. “If we hadn’t prepared in advance, we would have definitely lost everything. Now we are cleaning up and repairing together, we just hope the market will reopen soon so that business can stabilize,” said Nguyen Thi Huong, a small trader in the food industry.

Not only stopping at cleaning, the Management Board also assigned staff to be on duty, grasping the difficulties of each business household to provide timely support. The market management board helped small traders with limited manpower to rebuild their stalls and re-roof. Thanks to that, only 2 days after the storm, many rows of goods were bustling again...

Small traders are busy rebuilding their stalls.

Not only in Vinh market, the spirit of urgency to overcome the situation is also present in many other markets in the province. At Hung Dung market (Truong Vinh ward), the storm caused a series of corrugated iron roofs and iron frames to be blown away, and many kiosks to collapse. However, immediately after the storm, traders quickly started to fix the situation, erecting temporary roofs, cleaning up iron and steel, and displaying goods to maintain trading activities.

Ms. Ta Thi Loan, a food vendor, shared: “The corrugated iron roof was badly damaged, but the family asked relatives and neighbors to help repair parts. We still have to overcome difficulties because trading is our livelihood.”

According to the Market Management Board, storm No. 10 damaged about 200 stalls and kiosks, with estimated losses of billions of dong. Mr. Nguyen Khac Thanh - Deputy Market Management Board said: "Many households have just invested tens of millions of dong to reinforce after storm No. 5, and now they are damaged again. But people are very resilient, all focused on rebuilding to return to business soon."

At Dai Dong market, where most of the kiosks are made of iron pipes and corrugated iron roofs, the storm caused severe damage to dozens of stalls. On the morning of October 1, as soon as the rain stopped, the vendors quickly collected trash and rebuilt the corrugated iron roofs to reopen for business. "No matter how hard it is, we have to rebuild them, otherwise we will lose our regular customers," said Tran Thi Huong, a grocery vendor.

At Cau market, Kim Lien commune (Nam Dan), the atmosphere was also very urgent. Broken roof tiles were cleared, rows of kiosks were re-covered and rebuilt. The market management board coordinated with local authorities to organize a general cleaning and disinfection of the market.

Meanwhile, in Cua Lo ward, markets such as Hom market, Thu Thuy market, Nghi Thuy fishing port... suffered heavy damage due to the storm. Many rows of seafood stalls had their roofs blown off, and tables and chairs were scattered. But after only 1 day, the scene changed: Small traders, militiamen, and youth union members urgently collected bricks and tiles to rebuild the roofs.

In other localities in the province, many traditional markets were also damaged, but from early morning, traders called out and encouraged each other to quickly clean up. Restoring the operation of the markets after the storm is to restore the community's life, ensure the supply of food, and maintain social security. Mr. Hoang Minh Tho - Deputy Head of the Economic Department, People's Committee of Cua Lo Ward affirmed: "We consider restoring the market an urgent task. This is not only the livelihood of hundreds of small traders but also an essential need of the people."

Although storm No. 10 left many consequences for the market system in Nghe An, thanks to the initiative and responsibility of the management board, the support of the government and the self-reliance of the traders, the recovery work has been and is being implemented quickly. The images of people busily rebuilding kiosks, management staff working together with traders to clean up, or local authorities mobilizing forces to support, not only show the determination to stabilize economic life but also reflect the community spirit in times of trouble.