The military and police standing shoulder to shoulder with the people
Closely monitoring weather developments, as soon as the floodwaters began to subside, the Da Nang City Military Command deployed forces to help hospitals clean up mud and carry out disinfection operations. The units prioritised the removal of mud and sterilisation at two key hospitals: Duy Xuyen General Hospital (Nam Phuoc Commune) and Dien Ban General Hospital. These are major healthcare facilities serving tens of thousands of people in areas heavily affected by the floods.
Officers and soldiers of the Da Nang armed forces, together with local militia, self-defence units, and medical staff at the two hospitals, promptly carried out environmental sanitation, pumped out floodwater, cleared mud, and disinfected the entire affected area. Various types of mechanical equipment, pumps, chemicals, and lime were mobilised overnight to accelerate the process, ensuring the hospitals could soon resume normal operations and continue providing medical care for the people.
“The Da Nang armed forces are always in the highest state of readiness in terms of personnel, vehicles, equipment, and rescue tools, proactively assisting people in overcoming the aftermath of floods, cleaning up the environment, and restoring homes, schools, and public works as soon as the waters recede.”
Colonel Tran Huu Ich, Commander of the Da Nang City Military Command
The Da Nang City Military Command also assigned forces, vehicles, and mobile equipment to heavily affected areas, particularly those still partially flooded or filled with mud, and to damaged homes, schools, and offices. They coordinated with local authorities and residents to clean up the environment and help restore daily life.
In addition, units from the Air Defence–Air Force Service, the Navy, and Military Region 5 also sent forces to assist Da Nang residents in post-flood recovery. The Air Defence–Air Force Service deployed transport aircraft from the 918 Air Brigade to deliver relief goods to people in areas deeply submerged by the floods. Division 375 (Air Defence–Air Force Service) mobilised more than 130 officers and soldiers, along with five rescue boats and specialised vehicles, to reach isolated locations and assist residents. Naval Region 3 and Engineer Brigade 83 (Navy) also dispatched hundreds of officers, soldiers, and dozens of vehicles of various types to support flood-affected areas.
For the police force, officers in Da Nang’s communes and wards promptly joined with functional forces to help residents deal with flood damage. In localities such as Tra Tap, Tra Linh, Nam Tra My, Tra Leng, Tra Lien, Hoi An Tay, and Lien Chieu, police officers actively deployed alongside local Security Order Teams and residents to address landslides and severe flooding, providing timely assistance to those in need.
Communal police forces also coordinated in providing food supplies and encouraging residents to overcome difficulties and stabilise their lives. At the same time, they warned people to avoid travelling on roads prone to landslides and to refrain from fishing or collecting firewood in rivers and streams.
Nguyen Van Thanh, a resident of Tak Lang Village, Tra Leng Commune, Da Nang City, shared: “Officers and police risked their safety, crossing streams to deliver food, then guided and helped villagers evacuate and recover from the floods.”
Concentrating efforts to help people overcome the aftermath of floods
Following the motto “No one left hungry or cold in floods,” alongside efforts to ensure the safety of life and property, military and police units in Da Nang also promptly provided food, water, instant noodles, essential goods, and medicine to people in flooded or isolated areas.
To date, more than 12,000 officers, soldiers, and militiamen from units under the Military Region 5 Command have joined with local authorities and charitable groups to set up dozens of field kitchens, preparing, packing, and delivering nearly 3,000 free meals daily to residents in isolated and deeply flooded communes such as Hoa Tien, Tra Tan, Tra My, Nam Tra My, Duy Xuyen, and Dien Ban Tay.
Caring for people in every aspect, soldiers and police officers travelled by specialised canoes and motorboats to reach flooded areas. In addition to meals, boiled water, bread, and eggs, they also brought cough medicine, fever reducers, skin ointments, diarrhoea medicine, power banks, and baby supplies to deliver directly to each household. Elderly people, children, pregnant women, and those who were ill were given priority evacuation to shelters, where military medics and doctors provided timely care and support.
Notably, during this historic flooding event, the role of the local Defence Command Boards in Da Nang was effectively demonstrated. Remaining close to localities and staying updated on flood developments, hundreds of officers and soldiers from the Defence Command Boards of Area 3–Tra My, Area 1–Cam Le, and Area 5–Dien Ban worked tirelessly to deliver food, drinking water, and other necessities to thousands of households.
It can be seen that officers and soldiers of the police and armed forces have always been at the forefront of disaster prevention and response. With a strong sense of responsibility and courage in overcoming danger to assist flood-affected residents, they have truly become a steadfast support for the people amid storms and floods—helping minimise the damage in Da Nang and enabling residents to quickly stabilise their lives once the waters recede.
