At the foot of the ancient Yen Hoa tower...
A few days after the meeting to resolve obstacles and difficulties in the construction of resettlement areas in the province (July 20th), we made a trip up into the mountains to Yen Hoa ancient Thai village, My Ly commune. A full year has passed, but the landscape still bears the scars of the devastating flood on the night of July 22nd, 2025, and the people are burdened with worries...
Nhat Lan - Vo Hai| Design:Huu Quan
• 2/8/2026
A FEW DAYS AFTER THE MEETING TO RESOLVE OBSTACLES AND DIFFICULTIES IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF RESETTLEMENT AREAS IN THE PROVINCE (JULY 20), WE MADE A TRIP BACK INTO THE MOUNTAINS TO THAI CO VILLAGE IN YEN HOA, MY LY COMMUNE. A YEAR HAS PASSED, BUT THE SCENERY HERE STILL REMOVES THE MARKS OF THE DEVASTATING FLOOD ON THE NIGHT OF JULY 22, 2025, AND THE PEOPLE STILL FACE A BUNDLE OF WORRIES...
The last time we visited Yen Hoa village was during the Lunar New Year season of 2015. Eleven years have passed, but the stunning scenery of this Thai ethnic minority village, with its ancient Xop Lot tower at the northernmost point of Nghe An province, remains vividly etched in everyone's memory.
On that occasion, reaching Yen Hoa required a boat trip. From the center of My Ly, in Xieng Tam village, we boarded a boat and then, navigating the rapids upstream along the Nam Non River, we made our way. After about 30 minutes, Yen Hoa village came into view. The village nestled perfectly on a hillside shaped like an inverted bowl, with Thai stilt houses arranged in neat rows. The first row was close to the river, then gradually moved higher. From the boat, looking down from the river, the ancient Thai village of Yen Hoa appeared, with houses built close together, shaded by green trees reflecting the Nam Non River, surrounded by rolling mountains – a beautiful scene like a traditional ink painting. When the boat reached the dock, there was an immediate path leading into the village. The path, though narrow and winding, was clean, and the people, true to the village's name Yen Hoa (meaning peace and tranquility), were incredibly friendly and gentle...
Returning to Yen Hoa this time, although we had read many news reports about the villages in this northernmost part of Nghe An province being heavily affected by the floods at the end of July 2025, we never imagined the devastation would be so devastating. From the opposite hillside, it was clear that all the green belt and the sturdy houses built close together along the Nam Non River had disappeared. All that remained was a long, uneven landslide of soil, sand, rocks, and gravel, along with the solitary concrete suspension bridge pillar.
As a guide, Mr. Vi Van Quy, Deputy Head of the Economic Department of My Ly Commune, said that in 2021, the Yen Hoa suspension bridge was built to facilitate people's access to the commune center and promote tourism development. However, a massive flood swept away the entire tower, cables, and bridge surface, leaving only two concrete pillars. Meanwhile, the Yen Hoa village suffered significant losses, with many houses and the long-held dream of building a community tourism village swept away by the flood.
“I am from Yen Hoa village, so I was assigned by the leadership to be on duty here on the night of July 22, 2025. This is a historic flash flood, something that has never happened before. Our once prosperous village, who knows when we will be able to rebuild it…?” - said Mr. Vi Van Quy.
Upon reaching the landslide area, the remnants of the flood were still evident. Near the entrance to the village at the former boat landing, only a street lamp and a few clumps of trees remained. Beneath the layers of sand and soil near the landing, fragments of house walls and damaged belongings were still visible. On the landslide site, many makeshift shelters made of planks and tarpaulins, used by locals as temporary housing and storage for wood and other items, were scattered around.
In the makeshift houses on the landslide site, the first resident of Yen Hoa we met was Mr. Kha Van Thao. Mr. Thao is 95 years old, and his temporary house is built right on the old foundation, with the wall of his old house still buried under sand. When asked about the flood on the night of July 22, 2025, Mr. Thao slowly recounted: “I came here with my parents from Laos in 1943, so I’ve lived here for over 80 years. But I’ve never witnessed such a terrible flood. The flash flood from Laos swept down, destroying everything. Many houses were swept away. My house was completely buried under sand and mud, only the roof was visible. After the flood, from the rubble buried under sand, my family only managed to recover some wooden items to temporarily rebuild the house while waiting for resettlement land…”
Next to Mr. Kha Van Thao's house is the temporary shelter of Ms. Luong Thi Cam Van's family. It's a shack with a corrugated iron roof, built on a frame of small tree trunks and enclosed on all sides with tarpaulin. Ms. Van said that the ground where the shack is built is the foundation of her family's old house. On the night of July 22, 2025, when they saw the floodwaters rushing in, the whole family of four only had time to run to higher ground to escape. When they returned, everything had been swept away by the flood; their house, garden, livestock, and other family possessions were all gone. "My family lost everything. After the flood, we received 70 million VND in support and were helped to build a temporary shack while waiting for resettlement land. Now the rainy season is coming again. I'm very worried. But I don't know what to do; if the flood comes, we'll just have to run again..."
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The damage caused by the floods in My Ly commune was documented by the commune authorities in Report No. 18/BC-UBND dated August 2, 2025. The report clearly states that the historic flood on the night of July 22nd damaged 439 houses, including 221 houses completely swept away or buried under mud and rocks. In Yen Hoa village alone, 16 houses were completely swept away or buried; 17 houses suffered severe damage ranging from 30% to 70% due to landslides. Therefore, along with requests for urgent assistance for the people, My Ly commune has requested higher authorities to provide support in finding land and constructing resettlement areas.
Considering the actual situation in My Ly, in order to provide stable housing for affected residents as soon as possible, the Provincial People's Committee decided to issue an emergency construction order for four resettlement projects: Xieng Tam, Xang Tren, Cha Nga, and Yen Hoa. Specifically, the emergency construction order for the Yen Hoa resettlement area was issued by the Provincial People's Committee on May 21, 2026, through Decision No. 2103/QD-UBND.
The resettlement area, planned for approximately 4.5 hectares in Yen Hoa village, has a total investment of nearly 20 billion VND. The project is expected to include land leveling, retaining wall reinforcement, construction of internal roads, water supply and drainage systems, electricity, etc., ensuring housing for 25 households whose homes were destroyed or severely damaged (over 70% damage). The My Ly Commune People's Committee has been assigned by the Provincial People's Committee as the project's investor, with the requirement to complete the project by 2026. The Commune is fully responsible to the Provincial People's Committee, the Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee, and relevant agencies for identifying eligible households in the project area and for any proposed contents. Simultaneously, the Commune is responsible for coordinating with relevant agencies and units to prepare the project for submission to competent authorities for appraisal and approval, and for implementing subsequent procedures in accordance with regulations; ensuring the project's progress, quality, and effectiveness.
On May 31, 2026, the Yen Hoa resettlement area construction project was officially launched. However, as of July 20, 2026 (the date the Provincial People's Committee held a meeting to resolve obstacles and difficulties in the construction of resettlement areas - PV), the detailed 1/500 scale planning document for the Yen Hoa resettlement area still needed to be adjusted and finalized according to the feedback from the Department of Construction; the land for the project also needed to be converted from forest land to other uses before construction could begin.
According to Mr. Luong Van Bay, Chairman of the People's Committee of My Ly Commune, on July 22, 2026, the Xieng Tam and Xang Tren resettlement areas, which were started earlier, have completed land leveling. Currently, the contractors for these two resettlement areas are constructing the electricity, water, and irrigation systems. The commune has scheduled a lottery for residents to draw land plots and gather construction materials for their houses. Regarding the Cha Nga and Yen Hoa resettlement areas, the emergency construction order was issued on May 21, 2026, so the investment decision for the resettlement project has only been made at this time. Despite the urgent nature of the project, the implementation process must still fully comply with all regulations. Currently, with the decisive direction of the Provincial People's Committee at the meeting on July 20, the 1/500 scale planning documents and the conversion of forest land to other purposes have been basically completed.
Chairman Luong Van Bay also stated that, as the investor, the commune has decided to appoint a contractor and requested them to work responsibly to ensure progress, striving to organize a lottery for people to receive land for housing construction by mid-August 2026. Due to the severe shortage of staff, especially specialized personnel, the commune has also contracted design, supervision, and project management consulting units to assist the commune. Currently, the contractor has gathered machinery, equipment, and personnel to prepare for the leveling of the resettlement area.
While providing positive information, the Chairman of the People's Committee of My Ly commune expressed concern about several issues, namely the weather and the supply of construction materials. Mr. Luong Van Bay stated: “It’s now the end of July, and the weather is very unpredictable. The roads to the Yen Hoa and Cha Nga resettlement areas are very difficult to access, especially Cha Nga. If it rains, it will affect the progress. Besides, the supply of construction stone must be brought in from quarries in Pha Danh and Nam Can. The roads are long and inaccessible, and the supply from the quarries is very limited. In the Xieng Tam and Xang Tren resettlement projects, even though schedules were made in advance, the stone suppliers are still unable to guarantee the supply…”
During our visit to My Ly, we inspected the planned resettlement area for Yen Hoa village. The land was quite large and gently sloping, situated right above Yen Hoa village, making it convenient for site preparation and leveling. To provide access for construction vehicles and equipment, a steel bridge was being built across the Nam Non River, with its foundations being reinforced. Therefore, if sufficient equipment, machinery, and manpower are available, the site preparation and leveling for the Yen Hoa resettlement area should not take too long and can be completed on schedule.
Contacting the Forestry and Forest Protection Department, it was learned that this unit has been making efforts to assist My Ly in completing the application for land-use conversion for the Yen Hoa resettlement area construction project. The representative, Head of the Forest Utilization and Development Department Hoang Trung Son, stated that although it is an urgent project, land-use conversion is a mandatory step according to the law, and after completing the application, it still needs to be submitted to the Provincial People's Council for approval.
“The truth is, without detailed guidance, or even having some tasks done for us, My Ly commune would find it very difficult to handle. Up to now, the dossier for changing the land use purpose of the forest in Yen Hoa has been basically completed, and we expect to submit it to the Provincial People's Committee early next week…” - Mr. Hoang Trung Son shared on July 30, 2026.
According to the conclusions announced by Vice Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee Nguyen Van De at the meeting on July 20, 2026 (Notice No. 673/UB-UBND dated July 23, 2026 of the Provincial People's Committee), My Ly commune is responsible for urging the construction unit to mobilize maximum manpower, machinery and equipment, and arrange overtime to accelerate the construction progress, so that the land can be handed over to the people no later than August 15, 2026.
Therefore, on July 30, 2026, we reconnected with the Chairman of the People's Committee of My Ly Commune, Luong Van Bay. He informed us that the reinforcement of the temporary bridge over the Nam Non River had been completed, ensuring smooth traffic flow; the construction unit had also gathered its vehicles at the Yen Hoa resettlement area construction site.
Mr. Luong Van Bay stated: “According to the plan, the basic design of the project will be reviewed and approved early next week so that the construction unit can begin leveling the ground. We will strive to ensure the progress so that people can receive land to build their new homes...”
