The US charity Samaritan’s Purse has sent a relief plane to Vietnam to help provinces hit hard by Typhoon Yagi (Storm No. 3). The plane landed at Noi Bai Airport on September 16, carrying 19 tons of relief supplies including 3,000 flashlights, kitchenware sets, home water filters, clean water containers, and 6,000 22-liter plastic buckets. According to information from the official Facebook pages of the US Embassy and the Vietnamese government, the aid shipment is worth about 116,000 USD (2.85 billion VND) and will be distributed to three provinces: Lao Cai, Lai Chau, and Cao Bang.
Mr. David Paul Kletzing, Head of Samaritan’s Purse’s Vietnam Office, personally handed over the goods to Mr. Nguyen Van Tien, Deputy Director of the Department of Dyke Management and Natural Disaster Prevention, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development of Vietnam. Previously, the organization’s staff was present in Vietnam and provided emergency equipment such as life jackets, flashlights and whistles to 500 people in flooded areas in Yen Bai province.
Samaritan’s Purse, an American non-governmental organization that provides humanitarian assistance, has been working in Vietnam since 1996 and provides assistance to people affected by war, natural disasters, and poverty. Typhoon Yagi has caused severe damage to Vietnam since it made landfall on September 7, leaving 291 people dead, 38 missing, and nearly 2,000 injured. In addition, the storm collapsed and damaged thousands of houses, causing severe flooding and landslides.
The United States has pledged $1 million in humanitarian assistance through USAID to support recovery efforts, including shelters, clean water, and other emergency assistance. In addition, 20 countries and international organizations have decided to provide Vietnam with a total of $22 million (about VND550 billion). Countries such as Australia, Japan, India, Switzerland, and other international organizations have also sent aid to Vietnam. These relief shipments have been distributed to the most affected provinces such as Yen Bai, Lao Cai, Cao Bang, Tuyen Quang, and Lang Son.