The Flood Relief Mission: Central VN

by Vu Hoi

fter quickly assembling volunteers and preparation, we set out for the flood disaster in central Vietnam. We went under the umbrella of the Social Assistance Program for Vietnam Organization, although I represented Lua Viet for this mission. Along with Catholic sisters, Buddhist monks and local counterparts, we worked together in a very cooperative spirit to successfully accomplish our mission. The destructive floodwaters washed away many people's lives, houses, crops and only belongings. It left poor people with a gloomy future and heart-wrenching stories. Our work was not even done, when a second deadly storm charged through the region, making worse an already gloomy future for those helpless people.

I arrived in Saigon more than a week before the rest of the volunteer team and immediately helped to get some paperwork done. At the Saigon airport, the custom officers seized one of my two boxes of medicine claiming that it was illegal. A thought rushed through my mind that such seizing of medicine could prevent the survival of flood victims, as well as, prevent open wounds from healing and babies from relief of diarrhea. Finally the whole team including Thinh Nguyen, Kirk Evans, Mai-Khanh Tran and Chau Nguyen arrived, going through the custom check safely. Immediately, after checking in our hotel in Saigon, we begun sorting out the medicines, finalizing our plans and getting ready for the next day's flight to Hue.

Our team was comprised of five enthusiastic and hard working people. Thinh, our cameraman had a Japanese look on his face. A big smile has never seemed to leave his face. Wherever he went, Thinh would carry about 50 lbs. of camera equipment on his back. He called Kirk Evans "The White Guy" and the White Guy became the center of attention to lighten up our spirits whenever we needed some laughs. The White Guy and the Japanese looking guy could not get a good deal on anything even the hotel rate due to their foreign looks. Knowing their "differences" we decided not to have them show up at any hotel receptionist counter before the price had been negotiated.

The third energetic person was Mai-Khanh. Mai Khanh never seemed to run out of energy regardless of how tired she worked as long as there was some good food around. Her philosophy was eat well, stay healthy and work hard. Whenever, we needed more energy and good food, we looked up to Mai-Khanh. The person who kept us tight together was Chau. She was like our mother and protective guardian angel who constantly looked over us. She has a determined personality and appeared to be a little more serious than others. That was why we put her on every meeting with the local counterparts. Her caring spirit always gave us a sense of togetherness. Lastly myself, my mom said that I am a lovable and easy-going son so blended in with the group very well. I was famous for bargaining for a truckload of school supplies in the middle of Quang Tri market center.

Finishing our simple breakfast in Saigon, we boarded our plane heading for Hue. From the plane, I could see the remnants of the destructive water. Most of the remote villages or countryside was still submerged in water. The gloomy atmosphere created by the dark sky seemed like the wrath of God constantly bearing down on the exhausted people. The road we took to our hotel from Phu Yen airport was once a rushing river brought on by the flood. I could see watermarks on the roof of houses and trash stuck on top of bamboo trees and power lines. Along the road, people started rebuilding their houses and cleaning up their yards. On my right, as our van passed by, an old man bundled with a torn jacket was shoveling mud out of his house. The weak sound of a crying baby mixed with a distant knocking of hammers created a somber atmosphere. Instinctively, I knew that from every direction I looked, there was someone grieving the dead, worrying about the future or suffering from hunger. We checked in our hotel by late afternoon and immediately went out to survey the surrounding areas.

Before getting a chance to catch our breath, the team was divided into two to meet with our local counterparts. Thinh and I went to Quang Tri with two local friends. The rest stayed in Hue. Our job was to pass out 1 million "ñoàng" to families that either suffered a death in the family or had their home destroyed by the flood. The province authorities welcomed us and they tried to persuade us to leave the money with them so they can help us distribute the funds. We convinced the authorities that we were determined to hand the money directly to the people on the list by ourselves, otherwise, the money would go back to the U.S or to other provinces. Finally, they made arrangement for us to see the victims. We started very early the next day. The recipients had been waiting for us as we arrived in their village centers. Seeing our van approach, they gazed out to us as though we were their salvation. I could see and feel the pain that they were going through. Some of them wore tang, white outfits showing that they were mourning the dead. The exhausting and ghostly sign on their faces was evidence of the helpless ongoing battle with Mother Nature. Most of them looked mal-nutritious. Some of them did not even have sandals or warm clothes. Others brought their young children with them.

Everywhere we went, we heard horrible stories. In Trieu Phong, we visited families living near an aqueduct and when the levee broke, the dreadful current wiped away everything on its path. Within a few minutes, villagers surrounded us, telling us different stories about the deadly waters. In Hai Lang, a young mother carrying a months-old baby told us about how her husband died while rescuing a neighbor. The angry currents washed him away and they could not find his body. Because life there is very hard, people in the remote villages' value their few belongings as matters of life and death. Many people died while trying to recover their few belongings under the merciless flood waters. There was one incident in which a man died trying to rescue a pig. It was all his family had invested for the coming Tet (New Year). For many families, all of their investments were in a cow, water buffalo or a pig, but are now swept away by the muddy water.

Among the dreadful stories, we also witnessed inspirational developments including much cooperation among various local and overseas individuals and groups doing flood relief work. We heard wonderful stories of human courage during the flood. The Buddhist nuns who worked side by side with us did not have a single day of rest since the flooding. When the water was still high, they had only 3-4 hours of sleep every night. The older nuns cooked and packed rice into small plastic bags. The younger nuns carried it by foot to remote and stranded villages crossing dangerous waters. Some of the nuns did not know how to swim. When asked what if you slip into a deep hole of water, a young nun looked at me with a gentle smile. Immediately, I understood and quietly admired her sacrifices. Besides the religious organizations, once in a while we passed by a truck loaded with goods for flood victims. Various groups from around the country rushed in with rice, blankets and different necessary supplies. From what we saw and heard encouraged us to move on.

After a long tiring day with much traveling, we returned to Hue to join other team. We checked into a lovely hotel, which stood peacefully along Song Huong River near Trang Tien Bridge. Having dinner together on the third floor of the hotel, we talked, discussed and reported our work to each other. Looking out towards the hotel windows, I could see enchanting and glimmering lights from the other side of the calmly flowing river, as it started drizzling. Once in a while a gentle wind brushed across and swept away the tiny drizzles under the street lights. It was very quiet at night. The city was beautiful and appeared to be very peaceful. Its beauty and tranquillity carried me away. Suddenly, I was awaken by the realization that under such beauty and peace, lies a painful agony that the native people were enduring. A few weeks before, the same peaceful river turned its wrath on the helpless people. Behind those captivating lights on the other side, in a little shed somewhere, a wife mourned her husband, a little girl grieved her mother, and a grandmother suffered from hunger. I also knew that many mothers and fathers could not sleep worrying about how to build their sheds again and how to feed their young children in the days to come. Such feelings brought tears to my eyes while lying on a comfortable hotel bed.

The third day we continued our work in Hue and planned to head towards DaNang in the late afternoon but, unfortunately, the second flood hit. Hai Van pass was blocked and the train stopped. We got stranded in Hue. The roads we traveled to remote villages became rivers once again after we had passed. By nighttime, the whole city completely submerged in water. The first floor of our hotel was flooded with Song Huong's water. This Central area was once again overcast by a deadly storm. Looking down from the third floor of our hotel, the rising muddy water became very frightening to witness. Fortunately, we all were able to leave Hue for Da Nang the next day. We were one day late to ask our local representatives to distribute the money to qualified families in Da Nang. On the fifth day Chau and I flew back to Saigon while Thinh, Kirk and Mai-Khanh flew to Ha Noi for a medical mission. We left the Central Vietnam on a stormy day carrying in our hearts a haunting feeling that more suffering will cast over the already-unfortunate people.

All together, we shared more than $30,000 US raised in the U.S with the unfortunate people in Central VN. Much of it went directly to families that either suffered a dead in the family or had their homes destroyed by the flood. Some of it went to two medical clinics, one run by the Catholic nuns and the other by the Buddhist monks. We also helped out four grade schools that were heavily damaged by the flood. Realizing that our financial assistance was minimal compared to the total damage by the disaster, we shared with them our love and care. They knew that in their struggling agony and gloomy future, there were generous people remembering them. I congratulate all of those who poured out their love, care and money to help our fellow people. There will be much suffering bearing down on the Central people days to come; however, with our helping hand and love, it would ease out some of their pain.