[Reading level: B2 – Upper Intermediate]
Seeing that many people had lost their homes because of the floods, Mai Thao Nguyen and her husband cleaned up all 40 rooms in their family’s hotel and started welcoming people seeking shelter from the afternoon of October 7.
The family also stored 100 liters of fuel for the generator, along with instant noodles, drinking water, and food, to be ready to receive evacuees. Nguyen’s phone rang nonstop. Within a few hours, all 40 rooms were full, accommodating about 123 people, not counting those who came just to bathe, wash their clothes, or charge their devices.
Throughout the afternoon, the couple and one staff member were “spinning like tops,” organizing and helping more than 100 people. During dinner, they took turns eating while continuing to boil water for people to cook noodles, make milk for children, and prepare extra sleeping spaces for newcomers.
“We keep the doors open all day and night. If it gets too crowded, people can share rooms — the main thing is to help as many as possible,” said Nguyen.
Eighteen-year-old Bui Thanh Hieu came to the hotel for shelter at noon on October 7. At 4 a.m., her rented room in Phan Đinh Phung Ward began to flood. By noon, the water had risen nearly a meter, and the female student from Hoa Binh, along with six friends, had no choice but to wade through the water to reach Nguyen’s hotel.
About 10 km from Thai Nguyen City, 31-year-old Nguyen Hang posted online offering free parking for cars and motorbikes belonging to people in flooded areas. “My yard can hold nearly 100 cars and many motorbikes. Everyone can bring their vehicles here until the water recedes,” she wrote on social media.
Her family also prepared three bedrooms to host about 20–30 people, prioritizing the elderly and children. Hang continuously posted updates in community groups so that those in need could contact her. “In times of hardship, I’ll do everything I can to help,” she shared.
Due to the effects of the typhoon’s circulation and upper-air convergence, from the evening of October 6 to the afternoon of October 7, Thai Nguyen experienced heavy rainfall, reaching 400–500 mm in some places, causing flooding 1–2 m deep in Thai Nguyen City and surrounding communes. On the morning of October 7, the provincial People’s Committee issued an emergency dispatch ordering the evacuation of residents from dangerous areas. The provincial police also mobilized hundreds of officers, soldiers, and specialized vehicles to assist residents.
On social media groups, people continuously shared rescue phone numbers and addresses offering free accommodation and food.
That night, October 7, the phone of 48-year-old Tran Thị Thai — head of a charity club near Gang Thep Stadium — rang nonstop. In the club’s chat groups, messages kept coming in, updating the number of kitchens, pots, and places in urgent need of meals. “We mobilized everything overnight so we could start cooking in the morning,” Thái said.
After Typhoon Yagi last year, her group had cooked more than 23,000 meal portions and distributed 30,000 aid packages including dried food, drinking water, and life jackets. On peak days, their kitchen prepared up to 6,000 meals for residents in isolated areas. “From experience, as soon as we hear there’s flooding, we start cooking immediately,” Thai said.
Within two hours, members had raised tens of millions of Vietnam Dong, along with rice, fish sauce, and cooking oil. On October 8, Thai planned to cook 1,000 meal portions, of which 600 had already been assigned to heavily flooded wards such as Linh Son and Phu Binh.
Trieu Van Bo, a 33-year-old man in Phú Xuyên Commune (formerly Đại Từ District), posted on his personal page offering “free rides” to deliver relief goods to flooded areas. Based on past experience, he said the most essential items right now are bottled water and puffed rice snacks in sealed bags, since they keep well. “Cooked rice or sweets are only usable on the first day — they spoil quickly,” he said.
Last year, his group operated continuously for nearly a week, delivering supplies not only within Thai Nguyen but also to Tuyen Quang Province.
From a professional perspective, Ngo Anh Tuan — founder of GiveNow, an online community fundraising platform — explained that right after a disaster, victims often suffer from exhaustion due to hunger, cold, and thirst, so essential supplies are crucial for survival. In the early stage, ready-to-eat foods such as square sticky rice cakes, bread, rice, boiled eggs, compressed dry rations, clean water, and canned goods are prioritized. Short-shelf-life items should be sent to easily accessible areas like hospitals or volunteer bases, while longer-lasting items like instant noodles and rice will be vital food sources after the flood.
As for equipment like medical supplies, life jackets, clothes, and school materials, they can be delivered directly to residents, volunteers, or local militias, or left at collection points, depending on the situation.
“Relief efforts should only begin once the rescue phase has brought the situation under control,” Tuan said.
Dam Quang Tuyen, Vice Chairman of the Thai Nguyen Provincial Fatherland Front Committee, stated that as of the evening of October 7, many areas were still completely isolated, unreachable by communication or transport. Local authorities were working at full capacity to rescue and assist residents. “We hope to receive support from people inside and outside the province. In a hundred years, Thai Nguyen has never suffered a disaster this severe,” he said.
According to preliminary provincial statistics, by the end of October 7, the floods had caused three deaths, three missing persons, and several injuries. Many areas remained cut off, making rescue and relief work extremely difficult.
Source: https://vnexpress.net/nguoi-dan-cuu-mang-nhau-trong-lu-4948531.html
WORD BANK:
seek shelter /siːk ˈʃel.tɚ/ [B2] (v): tìm nơi trú ẩn
generator /ˈdʒen.ə.reɪ.t̬ɚ/ (n): máy phát điện
evacuee /ɪˌvæk.juˈiː/ (n): người sơ tán
accommodate sb /əˈkɑː.mə.deɪt/ [B2] (v): cho ai đó ở tạm, cung cấp chỗ ở
wade through water /weɪd θruː ˈwɑː.t̬ɚ/ (v): lội qua nước
recede /rɪˈsiːd/ [C1] (v): rút đi, rút xuống (nước lũ)
hardship /ˈhɑːrd.ʃɪp/ [B2] (n): gian khổ, khó khăn
typhoon’s circulation /taɪˈfuːn ˌsɝː.kjəˈleɪ.ʃən/ (n): hoàn lưu bão
upper-air convergence /ˌʌp.ɚˈer kənˈvɝː.dʒəns/ (n): hội tụ gió trên cao
dispatch /dɪˈspætʃ/ [C1] (v): phái đi, cử đi
evacuation /ɪˌvæk.juˈeɪ.ʃən/ [C1] (n): việc sơ tán
rescue /ˈres.kjuː/ [B2] (v, n): cứu hộ
charity /ˈtʃer.ə.t̬i/ [B1] (n): tổ chức từ thiện, lòng nhân ái
meal portion /miːl ˈpɔːr.ʃən/ (n): phần ăn
life jacket /ˈlaɪf ˌdʒæk.ɪt/ (n): áo phao
isolated /ˈaɪ.sə.leɪ.t̬ɪd/ [B2] (adj): bị cô lập, tách biệt
assign sth to sth /əˈsaɪn/ [B2] (v): giao, phân công cái gì cho cái gì
relief goods /rɪˈliːf ɡʊdz/ (n): hàng cứu trợ
puffed rice /pʌft raɪs/ (n): cơm rang nổ, bỏng gạo
spoil /spɔɪl/ [B1] (v): hỏng (đồ ăn)
from a … perspective /frəm ə pɚˈspek.tɪv/ [C1] (adv): từ góc nhìn …
fundraising /ˈfʌndˌreɪ.zɪŋ/ (n): gây quỹ
exhaustion /ɪɡˈzɑːs.tʃən/ [C1] (n): kiệt sức
compressed dry ration /kəmˈprest draɪ ˈræʃ.ən/ (n): lương khô nén
short-shelf-life /ʃɔːrt ʃelf laɪf/ (adj): có hạn sử dụng ngắn
militia /məˈlɪʃ.ə/ (n): dân quân, lực lượng tự vệ
severe /səˈvɪr/ [B2] (adj): nghiêm trọng, khốc liệt
preliminary /prɪˈlɪm.ə.ner.i/ [C1] (adj): sơ bộ, ban đầu
statistics /stəˈtɪs.tɪks/ [B1] (n): số liệu thống kê
cut off /ˌkʌt ˈɔːf/ (adj): bị chia cắt
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