Enhancing community resilience after natural disasters.

During their working visit, Ms. Naomi Cook, Development Counsellor of the Australian Embassy in Vietnam, and Ms. Francesca Nardini, Deputy Resident Representative of UNDP in Vietnam, attended the inauguration ceremony of a disaster-resistant house for Ms. Hoang Thi Lien in Dong Hy commune.

The house was built with support from the Australian Government in a partnership with UNDP to assist poor and vulnerable households in recovering from severe floods and landslides in 2025, while also enhancing their resilience to future natural disasters.

In 2025, due to the impact of natural disasters, more than 200,000 houses in Thai Nguyen were flooded, with total damage in the province estimated at approximately 4,300 billion VND.

The house of 76-year-old Hoang Thi Lien was completely destroyed when floodwaters rose to about 1.5 meters. In May 2026, under a support program, construction of a disaster-resistant house for Ms. Lien's family began. After 5 months, the house was completed, ensuring safer living conditions and increasing protection against flooding risks.

This is one of 20 newly built disaster-safe homes and 100 homes renovated as part of the Australia-UNDP partnership.

In addition, 1,340 households received cash assistance; 4 community infrastructure projects were constructed, and support activities for 10 local cooperatives are being implemented.

In Ben Do hamlet, Linh Son ward, the delegation also visited a newly constructed 300-meter-long community road, serving approximately 200 households and providing access to nearly 3 hectares of agricultural land. The restoration of public works also created jobs for people affected by natural disasters, including women.

The delegation also worked with the Linh Son Ward Disaster Prevention and Control Task Force, learning about the effectiveness of training activities and equipment serving emergency preparedness and response at the local level.

Ms. Naomi Cook stated that Australia will continue to cooperate with Vietnam and UNDP to support families affected by the 2025 floods, from building safe housing and restoring livelihoods to enhancing local response capacity.

Francesca Nardini, Deputy Resident Representative of UNDP in Vietnam, emphasized that resilience-oriented recovery is not only about rebuilding what has been lost, but also about mitigating future risks and enhancing community capacity.

Mr. Nguyen Truong Son, Deputy Director of the Department of Dike Management and Disaster Prevention and Control, stated that the experience in Thai Nguyen shows the need for close coordination between disaster prevention, response, and recovery. Restoring housing, livelihoods, and essential infrastructure should be implemented in parallel with enhancing local preparedness and response capabilities, while placing the needs and participation of the community at the center.