The house of Mr. Hồ Văn Bình

The rains come every summer to this mountainous region of central Vietnam. But for two weeks this October the rain never stopped, resulting in historic flooding.  For this narrow strip of land nestled between 1,200km of coastline to the east and the Annamite mountain range to the west, there is little room for error.  When the tide comes in, rainfall coming down the mountains is not able to flow to the sea, and the result is devastating floods. Over 200 people have perished, buried in mudslides or drowned.  For those who survive, lost and destroyed houses add to the misery.

As dire as the situation is, these are the moments that reveal the Vietnamese spirit of charity and compassion, expressed in the proverb that “healthy leaves cover torn leaves.” Donations and aid have come from home and abroad, from students and the elderly, from individuals and organizations.  Many of these benefactors entrusted Caritas Vietnam with their donations.  The following projects are being undertaken in their name.

Mr. Hồ Văn Phức

On October 6, 2020 Caritas Vietnam, through the Vietnam Bishops' Conference, delivered emergency aid to the Archdiocese of Hue and to Caritas Ha Tinh in the amount of 2.5 billion VND ($100,000 USD).  This immediate cash donation has been followed by ongoing relief efforts intended to help those in need recover homes and livelihoods.

Phase 1 consisted of building 48 homes in Ha Tinh Diocese and building 17 and repairing 10 homes in Hue Diocese, at a total cost of 4 billion VND ($170,000).

 Phase 2, which is still ongoing, directs 6 billion VND ($250,000) to the installation of three water purification systems and the construction of two community centers in Ha Tinh, and 3.5 billion VND ($150,000) to relocate 87 affected households in Hue and rebuild or repair their homes, as necessary.

The details of Phase 3 will be published upon implementation.  

Caritas Vietnam has also received donations of supplies, food, clothing and medicine from individuals and organizations which have been delivered to the dioceses of Kontum, Hue and Ha Tinh.

Caritas Việt Nam