After several consecutive nights of rain, water rushing down from the Hoang Lien Son range amassed into fierce torrents. On the morning of July 17, a sudden deluge of soil, rock, forest debris, and floodwaters cascaded down upon Muong Than, sweeping away everything in its path. Within minutes, six villages were left in ruins.
Many homes collapsed or were buried, newly sprouted green fields were smothered in mud, and hundreds of families fled the rising waters, their desperate cries for one another ringing out amidst the forest rain and falling rocks. The disaster claimed nine lives and injured eight people; over 380 households required emergency evacuation, with hundreds unable to return to their homes due to the persistent threat of landslides.
That very morning, teams of armed forces personnel from Lai Chau province — alongside police, militia members, and local authorities — navigated the treacherous floodwaters to reach the hardest-hit areas. Their initial mission was to rescue people, search for the missing, and evacuate stranded families to safety; once the waters receded, the task shifted to rebuilding homes so that residents could quickly settle back into stable living conditions.
Senior Colonel Dang Vinh Thuy, Commander of the Lai Chau Provincial Military Command, reported that immediately upon receiving the assignment, the unit mobilised over 300 officers and soldiers, along with self-defence militia forces and dozens of vehicles and pieces of machinery, to rapidly deploy to Muong Than.
Senior Lieutenant Colonel Nguyen Thanh Binh, Commander of Regiment 880 (Lai Chau Provincial Military Command), explained that the project site covers approximately 10,000 square metres and includes internal roads, water supply and drainage systems, lighting, site levelling, and other auxiliary facilities as required.
Major Nguyen Trong Quang, Head of the Barracks Section (Logistics–Technical Department, Lai Chau Provincial Military Command), shared: “Thinking of the residents who lost their homes motivated us to work as quickly and effectively as possible.”
On the morning of August 6, the San Bay Village resettlement area was imbued with profound relief as homes were handed over to 24 households that had completely lost their houses in a flash flood. Residents received prefabricated homes featuring heat-resistant corrugated iron roofing; each house spans 83 square metres on a 200-square-metre plot. Certificates of land use rights and ownership of assets attached to the land were personally presented to the families, marking the end of their anxious days spent fleeing the floodwaters.
Pham Thanh Hai stood silently for a long time in front of the porch of house number 5. The flash flood on the morning of July 17 had claimed the lives of his wife and two children. “Although the pain of losing my loved ones remains, I will strive to move forward and stabilise my life. We are all encouraging one another, sharing our hardships, and helping each other rebuild our lives,” Hai said with deep emotion.
Not far from Hai’s home, Lo Thi Thiet — who had just drawn the lot for house No. 4—shared that alongside providing new housing, local authorities are formulating plans for livelihood support and vocational guidance to help residents gradually stabilise their lives. “My family is determined to start over and rise above these hardships.” Her simple, heartfelt words reflected the shared sentiment of dozens of families in Muong Than following their losses.
Nguyen Thi Thuy Linh, Chairperson of the Muong Than Commune People's Committee, affirmed that local authorities are urgently finalising procedures to issue land-use rights certificates to the households.
Lieutenant General Pham Duc Duyen — Secretary of the Party Committee and Political Commissar of Military Region 2 — attended the ceremony alongside leaders from Lai Chau province to personally present gifts and words of encouragement to the families. However, the work of the Military Region 2 soldiers did not end there.
Under the current plan, the region's armed forces are collaborating with Lai Chau province to build 20 additional homes for families whose previous houses were damaged beyond repair — aiming to hand them over before National Day (September 2) — and to complete a resettlement area spanning nearly 18 hectares for over 300 households relocated from high-risk landslide zones.
In San Bay village, the lights now shining in these 24 new homes will serve as a lasting reminder of a unique rainy season — a time when, amidst loss and devastation, the bond between the military and the people built a solid bulwark and peaceful sanctuaries, giving the people of Muong Than the confidence to move forward.
