Two-level local government: Close to the people, for the people - Part 2: A support in the flood
In the harsh challenge of natural disasters, the image of the Central leaders and leaders of Nghe An province going through forests and streams to the heart of the flood to direct and encourage, together with the two-level government system to urgently overcome the consequences of the historic flood in July 2025, has become a great spiritual support, affirming a consistent message: No one will be left behind.
Political Reporter Group - Party Building• August 17, 2025
In the harsh challenge of natural disasters, the image of the Central leaders and leaders of Nghe An province going through forests and streams to the heart of the flood to direct and encourage, together with the local government system at two levels to urgently overcome the consequences of the historic flood in July 2025, has become a great spiritual support, affirming a consistent message: No one will be left behind.
During the days of raging floods, when the villages in the border area of Nghe An were submerged in mud and water, isolated and suffering losses, the images of helicopters flying through the clouds and bringing relief goods to isolated areas; along with the footsteps of the leaders of the Central Government and Nghe An province wading through streams and forests into the heart of the flood, were deeply engraved in the hearts of the people of Western Nghe An.
At Xieng Tam village (My Ly commune), amidst the mud and landslides, Deputy Prime Minister Ho Duc Phoc conveyed the condolences of General Secretary To Lam and leaders of the Party and State, affirming that caring for and supporting the people is the top priority: "Rest assured, the Party and State are always by your side!"
Previously, on July 23 and 24, Deputy Prime Minister Mai Van Chinh was also present in the flooded area of Western Nghe An, staying overnight, inspecting the field, directing emergency response, visiting and handing out gifts to support people... All of this also spoke to the spirit of "staying close to the people, staying close to the scene".
Amidst the country's busy work, the urgent business trips of the Deputy Prime Ministers to be directly present at the epicenter of the natural disaster in Western Nghe An, to encourage the people and direct the functional forces to promptly support the overcoming of the consequences of the flood, are clear evidence of the consistent spirit of the Party and State: No one is left behind, especially in times of trouble.
That close presence not only gives strength and confidence to the people in the flood-affected areas to stand up after the loss, but also becomes a great spiritual support for the political system of Nghe An province in general and the communes affected by floods in particular, when facing great challenges right in the early days of operating the two-level local government.
From the time when storm No. 3 was still rolling in the East Sea until the floods hit the western part of Nghe An, the leaders of Nghe An province always closely followed every development, stuck to reality, and did not let a single minute of interruption in their direction. Urgent meetings were held that night, working groups were urgently assigned, and working groups led by provincial leaders did not hesitate to face difficulties and went directly to key and important points.
During the days of floodwaters, people in My Ly, Nhon Mai, Muong Tip and Tuong Duong communes... welcomed the muddy footsteps of Secretary of the Provincial Party Committee Nguyen Duc Trung; Standing Deputy Secretary of the Provincial Party Committee, Chairman of the Provincial People's Council Hoang Nghia Hieu; Deputy Secretary of the Provincial Party Committee, Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee Le Hong Vinh; Deputy Secretary of the Provincial Party Committee, Chairman of the Vietnam Fatherland Front Committee of Nghe An province, Head of the National Assembly Delegation of Nghe An province Vo Thi Minh Sinh... and leaders of departments, branches and sectors. They overcame muddy roads, slippery curves, precarious temporary bridges... to get closer to the people, to see with their own eyes and hear with their own ears the situation at the grassroots level.
There were afternoons when the rain suddenly came down, the water was white, and large areas of land were eroded. But the working groups still moved forward, clinging to the cliffs and wading through the rising streams. Each destination was a warm conversation, a tight handshake, and sincere words of encouragement for the officers, soldiers and people who were struggling to fight the flood.
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Not only stopping at greetings, the provincial leaders also directly gave decisive orders, adjusting response plans to suit each locality and each time. Each timely decision helped the rescue force deploy quickly and effectively, gradually overcoming the damage, and soon stabilizing people's lives.
During the days of floods, the frequent presence and concrete actions of provincial leaders at the grassroots level have become a solid spiritual support. The presence of provincial leaders in flood-hit areas not only gives more strength to cadres and people, but also strengthens the belief in the leadership, close management and responsibility of the Party Committee and government in challenging times.
At the meeting with Deputy Prime Minister Ho Duc Phoc, Provincial Party Secretary Nguyen Duc Trung emphasized: The direction of storm prevention and control No. 3 from the central to local levels was implemented smoothly and resolutely, thoroughly following the spirit of "not being subjective". Thanks to that, Nghe An has proactively responded and minimized damage.
This assessment is not only drawn from an emergency disaster response campaign, but also a testament to the smooth and timely coordination from the central to provincial and communal levels. This factor has created a solid foundation for localities, especially the communal level, in the early days of operating the still-new two-level local government model, to overcome challenges and stand firm against the devastation of natural disasters.
On the afternoon of July 24, 2025, at the first meeting of the National Civil Defense Steering Committee, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh - Head of the Steering Committee expressed his deep sympathy for the huge losses and damage to property that the people of mountainous communes in Nghe An province are suffering due to the biggest flood ever in the province caused by storm and storm circulation No. 3.
On August 2 and 4, 2025, Deputy Prime Minister Ho Duc Phoc signed decisions to allocate a total of 300 billion VND from the central budget reserve to provide emergency support to Nghe An to overcome the consequences of natural disasters.
On the geographical map, Nhon Mai is just a small dot in the Nghe An border area, hidden in the middle of the Truong Son mountain range. But after the historic flood in July 2025, the name Nhon Mai suddenly became the center of pain for the whole country. There, people were startled and asked painful questions: How many people lost their homes? Who is hungry and thirsty in the deep forest? Who has to sleep under a tarp in the middle of a cold, rainy night?..
Before that, no one expected that in just one night of heavy rain, all 21 villages with more than 1,400 households in Nhon Mai commune were completely isolated. National Highway 16, the main artery connecting the commune with neighboring areas such as Tri Le and My Ly, was severely eroded. Losing signal, losing power, and having no means of access, Nhon Mai almost turned into an "oasis".
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In Pha Mut village, Mr. Xong Ba Dia - a Mong man in his 60s - sat silently in front of an empty plot of land where the house that had been home for generations had been. The house by the stream was swept away by the flood, leaving no property, and the whole family had to take shelter with neighbors. "Everything is gone... everyone is hungry, we don't know what to eat," his voice was hoarse, lost in the sound of the rain.
Mr. Dia's family's situation is not unique. In the entire Pha Mut village, 13 houses were swept away by the flood, dozens of others had their roofs blown off and their walls collapsed. The whole village was left empty-handed. In the fierce flood, the people of Tay Nghe, who are as resilient as ironwood or tau trees in the middle of the forest, had to cry out of helplessness!
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And, Nhon Mai is not the only place. The whole Nghe An province recorded 450 houses being swept away, collapsed, and completely buried; more than 5,400 houses were deeply flooded and nearly 1,600 others were affected by landslides…
Faced with that situation, the message was clearly conveyed by the leaders of Nghe An province: "Absolutely do not let people go hungry or live in the open. No matter how isolated the village is, no one will be left behind." This is not just an administrative directive but an order from the heart and responsibility.
With that spirit, Nghe An immediately activated a three-pronged logistics plan: road, air, and water to supply isolated areas. Provincial leaders sent an urgent request to the Ministry of National Defense; immediately after that, two helicopters of the Northern Helicopter Company and Regiment 916 took off, carrying dozens of tons of relief supplies to help the crew reach 5 points in the communes of Muong Xen, Muong Tip, Nhon Mai, My Ly, and Bac Ly.
Along with emergency relief work, Nghe An simultaneously deployed key task groups to bring people's lives back to normal soon, following the motto "where the water recedes, there will be a solution". In that spirit, the whole province mobilized all forces to clean up the environment after the flood, collect waste, disinfect, prevent disease outbreaks; urgently restore the transportation, electricity, telecommunications, schools, and medical stations systems; especially focusing on supporting people to restore production.
On the roads and villages of Western Nghe An in late July and early August, it is easy to see the images of Uncle Ho's soldiers from Military Region 4, the Provincial Military Command, the Border Guard, the Provincial Police, along with youth union members, commune cadres and many organizations and individuals inside and outside the province... immersed in the scorching sun, dirty clothes, sweating profusely to clean up, unload mud, repair houses, clear sewers, and help people overcome the consequences. These silent but urgent tasks every day reconnect the life of the flooded areas.
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Understanding that “home” is not only a place to live, but also a symbol of livelihood, faith and hope for the people, Provincial Party Secretary Nguyen Duc Trung directed: No later than September 2025, land must be arranged and construction must begin to rebuild houses for all households that lost their homes due to floods. This determination was realized through the campaign “40 days to rebuild houses for people and schools for students”, implemented by Nghe An province in coordination with the Ministry of Public Security, starting from mid-July 2025 with support from the Central Committee of the Vietnam Fatherland Front.
On August 12, 2025, in My Ly commune, the Ministry of Public Security coordinated with Nghe An province to launch a 40-day and night peak emulation campaign to build 500 houses and My Ly 2 Primary Boarding School for Ethnic Minorities, My Ly commune.
Along with rebuilding houses, Nghe An province also directed to ensure essential infrastructure. In particular, transportation is the top priority. National Highway 16 - the main road connecting remote communes is being repaired with great efforts. National Highway 7A and provincial roads that have been eroded and degraded are also on the list of urgent needs.
The flood has receded, but the severe consequences are still there in the western part of Nghe An. Amidst the chaos of rocks and collapsed roofs, the authorities, functional forces, people and philanthropists continue to work day and night to rebuild houses, schools, clear roads... With timely direction from the Central Government, determination from provincial leaders, close supervision from local authorities and solidarity from the people..., the villages in the great forest are gradually being revived. We can see that in the midst of hardship, unyielding will and responsibility, humanity have turned pain into strength, helping Nghe An stand up after the natural disaster, standing firmer in the face of all challenges.
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To synchronously implement measures to overcome the consequences of floods, Nghe An province has decided to allocate 205 billion VND from the provincial budget reserve in 2025 to 35 communes that suffered heavy damage. At the same time, an additional 200 billion VND from increased revenue and savings will be added to urgently handle the traffic infrastructure system, with priority given to National Highways 7A, 16 and some essential provincial roads.
The province has also allocated 300 billion VND in support from the central budget to 4 specific areas: 112 billion VND for transportation; 100 billion VND for agriculture and environment; the rest is reserved for repairing schools and medical stations.
Through the Vietnam Fatherland Front Committee of Nghe An province and the Provincial Relief Committee, as of August 7, organizations and individuals have donated nearly 139 billion VND to join hands to help people overcome the consequences of floods.
(To be continued)
