Military and police forces help people clean up the environment after the storm and floods in Yen Bai city (Photo: Tran Hai).

The resolution states that, in order to urgently overcome the consequences of Typhoon No. 3 (Yagi), quickly stabilize the situation of the people, promote the restoration of production and business, actively promote economic growth, effectively control inflation, and continue to strive for economic growth of approximately 6.8-7% for the whole year of 2024, the Government requests Ministers, Heads of ministerial-level agencies, agencies under the Government, other central agencies, and Chairmen of People's Committees of the 26 provinces and centrally-administered cities affected by Typhoon No. 3 (hereinafter referred to as ministries, agencies, and localities), based on their assigned functions, tasks, and powers, to urgently, decisively, promptly, and effectively implement the Conclusion of the Politburo, Resolutions, and directives of the Government and the Prime Minister, focusing on the following key tasks and solutions:

Policies and support measures must be quick, effective, and directly targeted at those affected.

The government's view is that support policies and solutions must be quick, feasible, timely, effective, focused, and directly targeted at those affected; the procedures and conditions for receiving benefits should be simple, easy to implement, easy to check, monitor, and evaluate.

Building upon and enhancing the effectiveness of already implemented policies; expanding the scope and target audience of existing policies that already have a legal basis, organizational structure, procedures, and regulations ready for immediate implementation.

Leverage the initiative and resources of all levels, sectors, and localities, focusing on policies within the authority of the Government, the Prime Minister, ministries, agencies, and localities to reduce the time required for approval by competent authorities.

Mobilize all resources, manage and allocate them rationally and effectively, prevent loss, waste, corruption, vested interests, and abuse of policies, and ensure transparency and openness.

Doing a good job in information and communication contributes to creating social consensus, arousing and promoting the strength of national unity and the political system, especially at the grassroots level, in the implementation process.

Protecting the lives, safety, and health of the people is paramount, and the first priority is to quickly restore production, supply, and labor chains.

The primary goal is to protect the lives, safety, and health of the people above all else. No patient should be left without access to medical care; and students must be able to return to school as soon as possible.

Ensuring social security, preventing people from lacking food, clothing, shelter, and clean water; promptly restoring daily life and social activities to stabilize people's lives, especially in areas most severely affected by storms, floods, and landslides.

Rapidly restore production, supply chains, and labor; revive and develop production and business; and maintain the growth and recovery momentum of localities and the economy in 2024.

Make thorough preparations and be ready to respond to natural disasters, storms, floods, landslides, etc., especially in the last months of 2024 and the beginning of 2025.

Maintain political stability, social order and safety, security, and public well-being.

Scope and target groups of support

The resolution clearly states that the scope and beneficiaries of the support include people, workers, vulnerable groups, business households, cooperatives, and enterprises in areas affected by Typhoon No. 3, flooding, landslides, and mudslides.

The support period is mainly in September and October 2024; some policies supporting household businesses and enterprises may be extended, with additional resources allocated until the end of 2025, to align with the recovery of businesses and household businesses and the seasonal factors in production and business.

Efforts are underway to repair the damage caused by Typhoon No. 3 to factories in the DEEP-C 2B Industrial Park, Hai Phong (Photo: VGP).

6 key task groups and solutions

The government has outlined six key tasks and solutions to urgently address the consequences of Typhoon No. 3, quickly stabilize the situation for the people, accelerate the restoration of production and business, actively promote economic growth, and effectively control inflation:

1. Key tasks and solutions for protecting the lives, safety, and health of the people.

a) The Ministry of National Defence, the Ministry of Public Security, and local authorities at all levels shall mobilize all available forces to search for missing persons; strengthen the deployment of forces and vehicles for patrolling, relocating and evacuating people from high-risk areas, and transporting aid and supplies to the people.

b) The Ministry of Health, in coordination with other ministries, sectors, and localities, shall mobilize and deploy sufficient medical personnel, ensure the availability of medicines and medical supplies for the treatment of the injured and sick; effectively carry out disease prevention and control, handle and sanitize the environment and water sources, and ensure food safety to absolutely prevent outbreaks of disease after floods, especially in localities affected by flash floods, landslides, and mudslides.

c) Ministry of Finance, local authorities

Ensure the availability of state budget funds to implement policies providing direct support for the burial of those who died, and for families with deceased, missing, or hospitalized members affected by Typhoon No. 3; and to fully and promptly settle and disburse benefits and policies to the relatives of those who died. Utilize state budget reserves and other legal sources to urgently relocate households and residential areas in high-risk landslide zones, completing this before September 30, 2024.

d) The Ministry of Finance and relevant ministries and agencies shall urgently release food, equipment, supplies, chemicals for environmental cleaning, disinfectants, water treatment chemicals, and medicines for disease prevention and control from national reserves to support localities.

d) Local authorities, in coordination with the Ministry of National Defense and the Ministry of Public Security, shall review and inspect areas that remain isolated, and make every effort to reach them in order to provide relief and rescue; focus on arranging temporary accommodation for people who have lost their homes, and providing food, supplies, and clean water to the people.

2. Key tasks and solutions to support the restoration of daily life and social activities to stabilize people's lives.

a) The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development shall take the lead in determining the extent of damage and the support needs of localities, and submit the information to the Ministry of Planning and Investment and the Ministry of Finance for consolidation and submission to the Prime Minister for allocation of central government budget reserves in 2024 to support localities in accordance with the law.

b) The Ministry of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs, the Ministry of Construction, the Ministry of Finance, and other ministries, agencies, and localities within their assigned authority, functions, and duties:

Increase support for poor households, near-poor households, and households in difficult circumstances whose houses have collapsed, been completely damaged and need rebuilding, or are severely damaged and require repair and relocation, from the state budget, the National Fund for the Eradication of Temporary and Dilapidated Houses, the Fund for the Poor, support from the Central Committee of the Vietnam Fatherland Front, and other socialized sources.

Implement current emergency support policies quickly and effectively for poor households, near-poor households, and households in difficult circumstances to repair severely damaged houses, relocate houses, etc., following the principle of "assessing the extent of damage and providing timely support accordingly".

c) The Ministry of Planning and Investment, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Finance, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, and other ministries, agencies, and localities shall mobilize partners and donors to secure financial resources and aid from countries and international organizations, and provide prompt and timely support to affected people and localities.

c) The State Capital Management Committee at enterprises directs corporations, general companies, and enterprises to focus all efforts on restoring essential infrastructure (electricity, water, telecommunications, etc.) as soon as possible, fully and promptly meeting the living and communication needs of the people; preventing power outages, telecommunication disruptions, and other essential service interruptions caused by storms and floods.

d) The Ministry of Transport, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, and local authorities:

Utilize state budget reserves to urgently repair and quickly restore public infrastructure, schools, hospitals, medical facilities, health stations, irrigation systems, etc.

Mobilize all available legal capital to immediately reinforce vulnerable and severely damaged sections of dikes and embankments; repair and restore transportation infrastructure on key routes; repair vulnerable bridges and culverts; especially restore transportation connections to residential areas that have been cut off and isolated after storms and floods; and plan for the reconstruction of severely damaged structures that cannot be repaired.

Directing investors and contractors to promptly address the damage caused by natural disasters, storms, and floods, develop appropriate construction plans, and resume construction as soon as possible to ensure the progress of projects, especially strategic and nationally important infrastructure projects.

Urgently restore medical examination and treatment services at healthcare facilities, and teaching and learning activities at schools. For school buildings and healthcare facilities that are severely damaged and unusable, temporarily erect temporary schools for students to attend classes starting in September 2024, and temporary healthcare facilities to serve medical examination and treatment needs. Plans will then be made to rebuild the structures that are no longer usable.

d) The Ministry of Industry and Trade, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, and local authorities shall closely monitor the situation and developments in the supply and prices of goods in their respective areas, especially in areas recently affected by severe flash floods, landslides, and mudslides. They shall promptly ensure supply, control prices, and prevent speculation, hoarding, price gouging, and exploitation of natural disasters and floods for profit.

e) The Ministry of Education and Training and local authorities shall implement tuition fee exemptions and reductions for students affected by Typhoon No. 3 in the 2024-2025 school year.

g) Ministry of Public Security

Strengthen efforts to ensure security, order, and social safety, especially in areas affected by storms and floods; direct local police forces to proactively advise local Party committees and authorities to enhance coordination and participation in ensuring social welfare and public safety.

Focus on combating hostile forces, reactionary organizations, and opportunistic individuals who exploit the natural disaster situation and the aftermath of floods and storms to carry out subversive activities against the Party and the State, and spread harmful and toxic information.

Actively and strictly control cyberspace, resolutely combat and refute false and hostile viewpoints and misinformation that cause public panic. Prevent and neutralize online groups that hide under the guise of "support, relief, and volunteering" to gather forces, incite unrest, and spread harmful and fraudulent information online.

3. Key tasks and solutions to support production facilities, business households, cooperatives, and enterprises in quickly restoring production and supply chains, employment, and promoting the recovery and development of production, business, and economic growth.

a) The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development shall focus on directing and planning flexible and effective production and measures to mitigate the consequences of storms and floods to restore agricultural production immediately after them; compile needs, promptly report and propose to competent authorities to decide on support for seeds, feed, chemicals and necessary supplies for localities to restore agricultural production; direct the inspection, review, and compilation of incidents and damage to dike and irrigation reservoir systems caused by storms and floods, and compile and report to the Prime Minister the funding needs for immediate repair and restoration to ensure safety.

b) Ministry of Finance:

Urgently and effectively implement policies on tax, fee, and land/water surface lease exemptions, reductions, and extensions for those affected and damaged by storms, floods, landslides, etc., as stipulated by law.

Instruct insurance companies to urgently review and pay insurance benefits to affected customers in accordance with regulations. Immediately, provide advance compensation to customers as per regulations.

c) State Bank of Vietnam:

Based on the provisions of Clause 4, Article 147 of the Law on Credit Institutions 2024, a report will be submitted to the Prime Minister in September 2024 regarding the classification of assets, the level of risk provision, the method of risk provision, and the use of risk provisions to handle risks in order to support customers facing difficulties and losses due to the impact of Typhoon No. 3.

Direct credit institutions to proactively calculate support plans, restructure loan terms, maintain loan classifications, consider waiving or reducing interest for affected customers, develop new credit programs with appropriate preferential interest rates, and continue providing new loans to customers to restore production and business after the storm in accordance with current legal regulations.

d) The Ministry of Planning and Investment shall preside over and coordinate with the Ministry of Finance to research, advise, and report to the Government and the Prime Minister in October 2024 on supplementing resources for the Social Policy Bank to lend to credit programs currently being implemented at the Social Policy Bank, especially loans to poor households and other policy beneficiaries in the Northern Midlands and mountainous provinces; if necessary, report to the Prime Minister for consideration of adjusting the credit growth target for 2024.

d) Ministry of Industry and Trade

Research and propose policies to support the rapid restoration of damaged logistics facilities and warehouses to ensure uninterrupted supply chain operations.

Researching the possibility of applying electricity prices for tourist accommodation facilities that are equal to those for manufacturing.

e) The Ministry of Transport instructs localities to urgently salvage ships sunk by Typhoon No. 3 to ensure waterway safety, facilitate repairs by businesses, and quickly bring them back into service for tourists.

g) The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, in coordination with local authorities, shall allow tourism businesses in affected localities to reduce their travel service business deposit by 80% until June 2025.

h) The Government Inspectorate and ministries/agencies shall temporarily suspend inspection and examination activities in localities to allow localities to focus on overcoming the consequences of natural disasters, storms, and floods.

i) The Social Policy Bank will focus on accelerating the disbursement of policy credit programs; review and summarize the losses of borrowers at the bank, develop needs for new borrowers and propose funding sources for implementation, coordinating with the Ministry of Planning and Investment and the Ministry of Finance to report to competent authorities for consideration and decision.

k) The Vietnam Social Insurance Agency is studying the possibility of extending the deadline for social insurance contributions for tourism businesses damaged by Typhoon No. 3.

l) Ministries, agencies, and localities shall direct contractors and construction units to inspect and review the current status of ongoing construction projects and construction machinery after the storm; dismantle, relocate, or repair damaged structures, machinery, and equipment; assess safety risks and implement remedial measures to ensure safe resumption of construction.

4. Key tasks and solutions for preparing for and responding to natural disasters, storms, floods, landslides, etc. in the coming period.

a) Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, local authorities

Review the villages and hamlets, identify families whose homes were buried under landslides, resettle the affected villages and hamlets, and provide housing for residents in safe locations, completing this process no later than December 31, 2024.

Review critical and damaged irrigation works, dikes, dams, and reservoirs with high risks and hazards to develop plans for allocating state budget funds for repair, reinforcement, upgrading, and new construction, ensuring the requirements for prevention, control, and response to natural disasters, storms, and floods in the coming period, especially in the last months of 2024.

Urgently review and compile projects for the resettlement of people in disaster-prone areas proposed by localities, including plans for the construction of resettlement areas and integrated relocation of people in areas at risk of flash floods and landslides (Decision 590/QD-TTg dated May 18, 2022). In October 2024, coordinate with relevant ministries and agencies to submit these to the Prime Minister for consideration and decision on supporting localities from the central government's contingency budget for 2024.

Directing the operation of hydropower plants belonging to the interconnected reservoirs in the Red River basin according to regulations.

b) Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment

Investigate and survey the flood situation and locations where landslides and rockfalls have occurred or are occurring; meticulously identify areas at risk of landslides to issue warnings.

Conduct a comprehensive review and adjustment of inter-reservoir management procedures based on updated calculations and a thorough and comprehensive consideration of unusual and emergency situations (including specific identification of authority, responsibility, implementation procedures, and implementation timeframes, while also ensuring compliance with the Civil Defense Law), climate change scenarios, etc.; ensure flood season timing is in accordance with regulations and prioritize allocating flood reduction capacity for downstream areas.

Research and propose a plan to utilize a portion of the flood control capacity above the normal water level of large, important reservoirs to enhance flood mitigation capabilities for downstream areas in emergency or unusual situations.

Strengthen the capacity for forecasting and warning of natural disasters, storms, and floods to promptly implement appropriate prevention, control, and response measures. Develop a natural disaster warning information system to support the direction and management of response methods based on disaster risk levels, connecting with the Government, ministries, sectors, and localities.

c) Ministry of Transport, local authorities

Review and assess the current state of transportation infrastructure, focusing on weak bridges on key road and rail routes, in order to develop investment plans for repair, reinforcement, upgrading, renovation, and new construction to ensure adequate response to future natural disasters, storms, and floods.

Ensure that areas for dumping landslide debris are properly designated to facilitate traffic recovery efforts; effectively carry out land clearance in cases where major repairs require road widening or realignment to ensure safety.

d) The Ministry of Industry and Trade shall preside over and coordinate with other ministries and agencies to report to competent authorities for consideration and adjustment of regulations allowing energy sector units to increase their reserves of spare parts and equipment to promptly respond to natural disasters.

d) The Ministry of Education and Training, other ministries, agencies, and localities shall strengthen propaganda, training, guidance, and equip students, and the public with the necessary skills to respond, be self-reliant, and react promptly to natural disasters and epidemics.

e) The Ministry of Information and Communications shall instruct localities and telecommunications enterprises to urgently restore telecommunications network infrastructure affected by Typhoon No. 3 and subsequent flooding; and implement solutions to ensure communication services for government direction and management in the event of natural disasters and floods.

g) The Ministry of National Defence shall preside over and coordinate with relevant agencies to promptly consolidate the National Civil Defence Steering Committee, ensuring that disaster prevention and control work operates smoothly, effectively, and efficiently, building upon the activities of the former National Steering Committee on Disaster Prevention and Control and the National Committee for Incident Response, Disaster Relief and Search and Rescue, and developing response plans, especially for major natural disasters and floods, to avoid being caught off guard. This includes clarifying the operational mechanisms of disaster prevention and control work that have been and are being effectively implemented in the system from the central to local levels to ensure consistency between the provisions of the Law on Civil Defence, the Law on Disaster Prevention and Control, and other relevant regulations.

5. Tasks and solutions regarding mechanisms, policies, and solutions for reducing and simplifying administrative procedures to implement support policies.

a) The Ministry of Construction, other ministries, agencies, and localities shall review and study the reduction of administrative procedures in the management of construction investment; allow production facilities, business households, and enterprises to apply the provisions of Articles 89 and 130 of the Construction Law, as amended and supplemented by Law No. 62/2020/QH14 amending and supplementing a number of articles of the Construction Law, to repair and rebuild works and factories affected by natural disasters so that businesses can quickly resume operations.

b) The Ministry of Foreign Affairs continues to mobilize resources from international partners and the Vietnamese community abroad to support localities and people affected by natural disasters, storms, and floods.

c) The Ministry of Industry and Trade, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, and other ministries and agencies shall coordinate the supply and demand between provinces and cities affected by rain and floods and other provinces and cities upon request from local authorities, in order to ensure the continued supply of essential goods to students and patients in the affected areas.

d) Localities

Based on the provisions of points a, b, and c, Clause 1, Article 23 of the Law on Bidding and Article 78 of Decree No. 24/2024/ND-CP, the competent authority shall consider and decide, within its functions and authority, on the use of simplified direct contracting for bidding packages that need to be implemented immediately to remedy or promptly address the consequences caused by Typhoon No. 3 and the subsequent floods.

Based on legal regulations, the relevant authorities will consider and decide, within their functions and powers, on the application of procedures for emergency investment in projects and works that need to be implemented promptly to prevent, combat, and mitigate the consequences of Typhoon No. 3 and the subsequent floods.

6. Tasks and solutions for controlling inflation and promoting economic growth.

Ministries, agencies, and localities, according to their assigned functions, tasks, and authority:

a) Thoroughly understand market conditions and commodity prices to develop appropriate and effective solutions for market stability. Promote production and ensure adequate supply of goods; strengthen inspection and supervision of the implementation of regulations on price management and price stabilization of essential goods and raw materials for people's lives and production and business; strictly handle, in accordance with the law, acts of speculation, hoarding, price gouging, and price manipulation.

b) Promote agricultural production, ensuring an abundant supply of food, especially in areas severely affected by storms, floods, and natural disasters, and absolutely prevent food shortages in the remaining months of the year.

c) Continue to promote cost savings, thoroughly reduce recurrent expenditures to allocate resources for social security, disaster relief, support for the people, and development investment. Decisively accelerate the construction progress of important national and key projects, those with inter-provincial and inter-regional connections, and those connecting the nation, region, and internationally.

d) Continue to diversify export markets and supply chains, prioritizing the exploitation and maximization of opportunities from key strategic export markets and signed Free Trade Agreements (FTAs); promote negotiations and signing of new FTAs, and expand into new markets such as the Middle East, Africa, and Halal product markets…

d) Renew traditional growth drivers and strongly promote new growth drivers; maximize the utilization of external support resources to promote innovation, digital economic development, digital transformation, green transformation, and new industries such as semiconductors, clean energy, hydrogen, etc.

e) Focus on implementing decisive, timely, and effective solutions to resolve difficulties and obstacles related to projects and land issues in inspection and audit conclusions and judgments in some provinces and cities, as well as other problematic and outstanding projects, especially in localities affected by Typhoon No. 3 and the subsequent floods.

Ensure the availability of state budget resources to implement support policies.

The Government directs Ministers, heads of ministerial-level agencies, government agencies, and chairpersons of People's Committees of provinces and centrally-administered cities to focus on thoroughly understanding and promptly organizing the synchronized, timely, and effective implementation of support solutions and policies, ensuring strict adherence to legal regulations, preventing losses, waste, corruption, and group interests; proactively handling difficulties, obstacles, and emerging issues within their authority, and reporting to higher authorities on issues beyond their authority.

The Ministry of Finance, the Ministry of Planning and Investment, and local authorities shall ensure the allocation of state budget resources to implement support policies.

Provinces and centrally-governed cities are urged to promptly review and complete damage statistics, maximizing the resources of local budgets to proactively implement solutions and policies to overcome the consequences of Typhoon No. 3, support people, businesses, households, cooperatives, and enterprises, and promote economic growth within their jurisdiction; they are also urged to promptly report on the damage situation and propose support from the central budget, sending the reports to the Ministry of Finance, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, and the Ministry of Planning and Investment before September 20, 2024, for compilation and submission to the Prime Minister for consideration and decision on support.

Vietnam Television, Vietnam Radio, Vietnam News Agency, and other media outlets will continue to provide information, communication, and encouragement to the people and businesses to overcome difficulties; leveraging the combined strength of the entire political system, the fine traditions of the nation, and the spirit of mutual support and compassion to protect and assist each other in times of hardship.

The Ministry of Interior is urgently proposing commendations and encouragement for collectives and individuals who are shining examples and role models in preventing, mitigating, and overcoming the consequences of natural disasters and supporting the people.

The government has requested the State Audit Office and the Committees of the National Assembly to consider temporarily suspending audits and supervision activities in localities according to the State Audit Office's audit plan, and supervision activities under the supervision program of the National Assembly, the Standing Committee of the National Assembly, and the Committees of the National Assembly, so that localities can focus on overcoming the consequences of natural disasters, storms, and floods.

The Government respectfully requests the Central Committee of the Vietnam Fatherland Front and its member organizations, socio-political organizations, and the Vietnam Red Cross Society, within their respective duties and powers, to urgently organize programs to visit, encourage, give gifts, and support people affected by natural disasters, storms, and floods, especially vulnerable groups.

Source: Nhan Dan Newspaper