A charity has warned that thousands of children in northern Vietnam will face difficulties returning to school following flash floods and landslides that have devastated homes, obliterated crops, and isolated several communities in the region. The northern part of the country experienced an unusually wet summer, with the mountainous northwest regions particularly hard-hit by torrential rains and flash floods since early July. Nearly 29,000 houses have been damaged and 90,000 hectares of crops destroyed, according to Vietnam's General Statistic Office. In Son La province, about 1.3 million people have been affected, with floods leaving the countryside littered with broken bridges and severely damaged roads, according to Save the Children. Eleven people have died in the area, and around 2,670 houses and 29 school buildings were damaged, according to Vietnam's disaster officials. Save the Children reported that 4,500 children would encounter "safety challenges" as they attempt to return to school in early September.
"The recovery will take many months, and without immediate intervention, these children could face numerous dangers," said Le Thi Thanh Huong, country director of Save the Children Vietnam. Ha Cong Minh, the principal of a school in Son La province, described the road to school as "very rough with landslides and broken bridges making it hard to travel. Children must cross streams to get to school." Floods caused approximately $85 million in damages in the first seven months of the year, double the figure from last year, according to Vietnam's General Statistic Office. Ninety-one people were killed or reported missing due to adverse weather during that period. Between June and November, Vietnam is frequently hit by downpours, leading to flooding and landslides. Scientists have warned that extreme weather events globally are becoming more intense and frequent due to climate change.
