Urgently overcome the consequences of natural disasters in the mountainous region of Son Dong

BAC NINH - After recent storms and floods, many residential areas, traffic works, irrigation works, ponds, gardens, river banks, streams... in the mountainous communes of Son Dong were flooded and buried by rocks and soil. Danger always lurks whenever people and vehicles pass through damaged roads. People are always afraid of the risk of landslides, burying houses, gardens...

Danger lurks

A large rock was swept away by floodwaters from the top of Sau Dinh mountain (behind) to Mr. Phun A Po's garden, Ngheo village, Tuan Dao commune.

The flood on the night of August 20 and the morning of August 21, 2025, along with heavy rains caused by storms No. 10 and 11, has passed for many days, but the consequences for people in the mountainous communes of Son Dong, especially Son Dong and Tuan Dao communes, are still evident. In Ngheo village, Tuan Dao commune, dozens of large lychee trees, along with many areas of economic forests and other fruit trees of the people, are still lying in disarray due to being swept away by floods and buried by rocks and soil from Dinh mountain. Thousands of large and small rocks, some weighing tens of tons, were pushed from the top of the mountain by the water to the gardens, close to the houses of households, lying there, unable to be moved, even though the People's Committee of Tuan Dao commune mobilized forklifts and excavators to help the children clean up.

Mr. Phun A Po, a Dao ethnic, recounted: “I am over 70 years old but have never witnessed such a heavy rain. After only a few hours, I saw flash floods from Sau Dinh mountain, the sound of rocks and soil being swept away by the flood colliding with each other was as loud as thunder in the night, it was terrifying. In an instant, the entire garden, the perimeter (a wall built with lime trees to fence the beach), the domestic water supply system... of my house and the households of Mr. Phun A Chin, Phun A Van, Phun Van Minh... in the same village were blown away by rocks and soil. People in the village had to leave their houses in the rainy night to avoid being crushed by rocks.”

The floods have caused the landslide on Sau Dinh mountain to widen by tens of meters, deepening, creating a large stream thousands of meters long. The rains caused by storms No. 10 and No. 11 after the flood at the end of August have made the people of Ngheo village, especially the 6 households whose gardens were damaged by the flood, always feel insecure because they fear that the flood will sweep away their houses. People have to take shelter from other households in the village every time it rains. Mr. Phun Van Long, Head of Ngheo village, suggested: "We hope that the local and provincial authorities will support the 6 households of Ngheo village in the landslide area to move to a safer place so that people can stabilize their lives."

Rocks and soil buried gardens, ponds and lakes of households in Lua village, Son Dong commune.

In addition to the 6 households in Ngheo and Tuan Dao villages, there are 6 more households in Tuan An, Am Ha, and Nam Bong villages (2 households in each village) that have suffered landslides on mountain and stream slopes, affecting the lives of the people. For example, Mr. Do Van Tu's household (near the stream bank), Tuan An village is isolated because the flood swept away the road; Mr. Do Van Bay's household had a mountain section more than 100m long and about 15m high collapsed against the wall of their house, waiting for danger. "We hope to soon receive support from the State to move to a safer place," said Mr. Tu.

According to the synthesis of the People's Committee of Son Dong commune, the locality currently has 43 households (including 17 households in Hamlet No. 1, 16 households in Hamlet Ke, 5 households in Hamlet Dinh and 5 households in Hamlet Lua) located along rivers and streams at risk of landslides and floods sweeping away houses at any time, threatening people's lives. For example, the landslide point in Hamlet Lua. Due to the impact of recent floods, thousands of cubic meters of soil and rock from Da Tu mountain swept through the gardens, yards, and outbuildings of many households, many areas of fruit trees and the Middle Lake of Hamlet Lua were buried by about 6,000 cubic meters of soil and rock. Currently, the People's Committee of Son Dong commune is dredging the lake. However, the gardens, yards, and outbuildings of the people have not been able to be repaired. Mr. La Van Sau (78 years old), a Chinese ethnic, shared: “My house was buried by rocks and soil for more than 1 sao of garden. Only when I have money can I remove the rocks and soil. I am so worried that I can’t eat or sleep because the mountain is completely bare, while the rain and storms are getting more frequent.”

Need fundamental and synchronous solutions

Storms and floods caused severe damage to many traffic works in the mountainous communes of Son Dong.

Recent storms and floods have also caused severe damage to many traffic, irrigation and cultural works in the communes of Son Dong, Tuan Dao, Tay Yen Tu and Yen Dinh. Among them, Tuan Dao and Son Dong communes suffered the most damage with hundreds of incidents, many of which need urgent repair. Specifically, Tuan Dao commune has damaged areas such as: landslides on the inter-commune road Tuan Dao - Deo Gia (in Dong Tam village); intra-village road, Dong Bao Tuan village; buried rocks and soil affecting agricultural and forestry production of many households in the villages of Ngheo, Am Ha, Tuan An, Nam Bong...

Currently, Tuan Dao and Son Dong communes have 55 households in need of urgent assistance in evacuating from the disaster-affected areas. Dozens of landslides, damaged traffic and irrigation works have been proposed to be included in the list of emergency works on natural disasters, with the total estimated cost of repair and resettlement of residents being over 259 billion VND.

Especially the landslide at Trau Boi tunnel on the inter-commune road Tuan Dao - Bong Am (old). The rain and flood caused the slope of this road to collapse about 150 m long, 8 m deep, "eaten" into the road surface nearly 3 m, the total amount of soil and rock washed away was about 6 thousand m3. Mr. Pham Van Tu, Vice Chairman of Tuan Dao Commune People's Committee, commented: "If not urgently repaired, just one more heavy rain, people and vehicles will not be able to pass through this road. The villages: Am Ha, Mung, Nam Bong in Tuan Dao commune will be completely isolated. Currently, the locality has put up warning signs to limit vehicle traffic".

The floods also caused severe damage to many roads that are being renovated and upgraded in Son Dong commune. A typical example is the landslide that almost completely damaged the road surface and concrete roadbed, about 800m long, on the inter-commune road An Ba (old) - Tuan Dao (being widened from 3.5m to 6m).

Landslide point at Trau Boi culvert on the inter-commune road Tuan Dao - Bong Am (old).

It is known that immediately after the storm and flood passed, the People's Committee of Tuan Dao and Son Dong communes and the Son Dong Construction Investment Project Management Board made statistics and reported to the Provincial People's Committee, the Department of Agriculture and Environment, and proposed an emergency plan to deal with damaged constructions and displaced houses. The estimated cost to repair damaged constructions managed by the People's Committee of Tuan Dao and Son Dong communes and the Son Dong Construction Investment Project Management Board, which were assigned as investors, amounted to more than 259 billion VND.

Comrade Tong Thi Huong Giang, Secretary of the Son Dong Commune Party Committee, shared that the communes in the old Son Dong district are all localities with many difficulties. Therefore, although the Party Committee and local authorities have made every effort, there are still not enough resources to support people in disaster-affected areas to move to safe places and repair damaged structures.

Leaders of the Party Committee and People's Committee of Son Dong commune inspected the consequences of floods in the area (October 7, 2025).

Discussing the above contents, Mr. Duong Thanh Tung, Director of the Department of Agriculture and Environment, said that the unit has compiled works damaged by storms and floods that need urgent repair, including cases in the highlands of Son Dong. On the afternoon of October 22, the Department's leaders had a meeting with the Department of Finance to agree on the content of advising the Provincial People's Committee to arrange appropriate capital sources, assign communes to be investors to repair damaged works and support the relocation of households in areas at risk of landslides to suitable locations, protecting the safety of people's lives.

Mr. Tung commented that the terrain of the mountainous communes of Son Dong has a high slope, so when storms and floods occur, they often cause great destruction. Meanwhile, natural disasters are becoming more and more complicated, so to ensure the long-term and sustainability of infrastructure works, cultivated land, and stable housing for people, the Department of Agriculture and Environment will coordinate with relevant departments and branches to evaluate, review, and advise the Provincial People's Committee on fundamental solutions on capital sources, regional planning, and details for the construction of traffic works, irrigation works, and resettlement areas. So that the infrastructure works are suitable for each region, especially the mountainous area of ​​Son Dong, to adapt to increasingly severe climate change.

Article and photos: The Dai

Source: https://baobacninhtv.vn/cap-bach-khac-phuc-hau-qua-thien-tai-tai-vung-cao-son-dong-postid429516.bbg