Vinh An Village in Cam Lo District is located by Hieu River and is affected by severe annual flooding. Local people always live in fear whenever the rainy and flooding season comes. This year, the worry has given way to happiness as a flood-proof house sponsored by BIDV will be inaugurated soon.
According to Hoang Cong Nguyen, head of Vinh Anh Village, the local people could not hide their joy when looking at the flood-proof house. He said that upon hearing the news that a flood-proof house would be built, everyone breathed a sigh of relief as the life-threatening floods from Hieu River would no longer be a concern.
The flood-proof house is built at a favourable location to ensure highest safety for people when they gather in times of disasters. Nguyen said the house can accommodate over 200 people and is accessible to wheelchair users.
In addition to its function in flood prevention, the house will also act a venue for community activities. The ground floor is used by women and young people for culture and sports activities. The front yard of the house features two volleyball courts and playgrounds for children.
Similarly, due to its proximity to Thach Han River, Bich Loc Trieu Village in Trieu Long Commune, Trieu Phong District, also suffers severe flooding whenever it rains heavily. The village has nearly 360 households, but the number of houses able to withstand disasters remains low. Sharing the difficulties with Bich Loc Trieu villagers, BIDV decided to sponsor 2.5 billion VND to build a flood-proof community house which can accommodate 200 people.
Trieu Long Commune Chairman Vo Sinh recalled historic consecutive floods in October 2020 caused the whole village to be submerged by more than two metres, making it very difficult to access and move stranded people to safety. In the past two years, thanks to a firmly built community house, local people have been evacuated safely whenever floods arrive.
A flood-proof house sponsored by BIDV has also recently been put into use in Lam Thuy Village, Hai Hung Commune, Hai Lang District. Hai Lang District Vice Chairman Duong Viet Hai said the local people were very happy when the house was inaugurated as they now have a place to shelter in the event of large floods.
Duong Viet Hai said the task of evacuating people to safety during the flooding season is always facing many difficulties. The flood-proof community house has helped local authorities to reduce the impacts of natural disasters and climate change on people’s lives.
Commenting on building flood-proof houses for Quang Tri residents, Director of BIDV’s Quang Tri Branch Hoang Thi Chau Loan said that in addition to effectively conducting its business plan, BIDV Quang Tri also pays attention to social security in the province.
Recently, the bank sponsored three flood-proof community houses in Quang Tri Province, each worth 2.5 billion VND. Of these, the house in Bich Loc Trieu Village was jointly sponsored by BIDV and its strategic partner Hana Bank from the Republic of Korea.
Flood-proof houses are two-storey structures with a construction area covering nearly 300 square metres that can accommodate over 200 people. The first floor is an empty space surrounded by a railing system. The second floor features a large room for community activities, with a stage, kitchen, storage room, and toilets.
From 2015-2024, BIDV Quang Tri has spent more than 61 billion VND building schools, healthcare centres and flood-proof houses as well as renovating historical sites in Quang Tri Province, which has demonstrated the bank’s social responsibility, said Loan.
According to Quang Tri Chairman Vo Van Hung, BIDV’s sponsoring to build flood-proof community houses has helped vulnerable people feel more assured during the flooding season and helped local authorities and people proactively respond to natural disasters on the spot. During normal circumstances, flood-proof community houses become venues for culture and sports activities, helping to strengthen local communities.
He added that the BIDV-sponsored flood-proof houses feature good design and functionality and can act as a model for other localities to follow. The Quang Tri leader expects to receive further support from BIDV in implementing social security work in the province.
