Bang Choc, anxiously waiting… for a place to settle down.

After the historic flash flood on the morning of August 1, 2025, Mr. Lo Van Duc's small house became a "shared home" for more than 20 people from 6 families.

Over the past few days, the lives of the poor people in Bang Choc village have become increasingly anxious and full of anticipation…!

Poverty and anxiety

Ten months have passed since the Sư Lư stream roared with a mournful sound at dawn on August 1, 2025, sweeping away gardens, ponds, rice fields, and houses of the people in Bàng Chộc village, yet the traces of that flood remain almost intact.

The homes of the people in Bang Choc village were damaged by flash floods.

Looking silently at the Su Lu stream and pointing towards the dilapidated, abandoned stilt houses along the stream bank, Mr. Lo Van Huong, the head of Bang Choc village, said softly: "Normally, the stream's water only reaches ankle height; on both sides of the stream are gardens, ponds, and nearly ten hectares of rice fields that the villagers have cultivated for over 40 years. But I don't know where all this water came from, it's as if the heavens have 'taken a rage' and poured it down on this place."

In an instant, the water rose dozens of meters, sweeping away Lo Van Tuan's house, destroying his fields, gardens, and fish ponds, and bringing soil from the mountain into the homes of eight families. The suspension bridge connecting the two Bang Choc residential areas was tossed about by the wind and water until, when the water receded, the bridge's cables snapped and its abutments collapsed…

Although they have houses, many families in Bang Choc village are afraid to live in them because of long cracks appearing on the mountainside. They have had to abandon their homes and seek shelter with acquaintances or erect temporary shelters in the forest.

The flood has passed, but anxiety remains for nearly 200 people. The greatest worry is for families whose homes were swept away by the flood or whose houses are located on slopes prone to landslides, leaving them unable to feel secure in the very homes they built with so much hard work, sweat, and careful saving.

Welcoming us into the small house of her nephew, Lo Van Duc, Mrs. Lo Thi Muu sadly said, "This house is small, but the host's heart is big." Then Mrs. Muu recounted that after the flood, she didn't dare stay alone in her dilapidated house on the mountainside, so she asked her nephew for permission to stay with her. Initially, she thought it would only be for a short time, but unexpectedly, "I've been staying with him for 10 months now, and I'll probably have to stay longer."

Like Mrs. Mưu, there are families such as Bạc Cầm Bảo, Lò Thị Buốn, Lò Văn Thoan, and Lò Văn Inh (A) who are staying at Đức's house. "Old, young, big, small, at most there were 25 people eating and sleeping in one house. Now that Thoan's and Inh's families have moved to build temporary houses elsewhere, there are only 4 families left in this house," Mrs. Mưu said sadly.

Ms. Lo Thi Muu is one of those who had to leave their homes and seek refuge from the floods. For Ms. Muu, the past 10 months have been a series of extremely difficult and miserable days...

Following Mrs. Mưu inside to "see" the house, which was only about 30 square meters with a small kitchen, I hesitantly asked her, "How do people sleep in this house?" Mrs. Mưu gave a wry smile and said, "Well, we stretch tarpaulins all over the yard, spread them on the floor, and sleep there. Each family sleeps in a corner. As for food, we eat whatever is available; everyone cooks and eats together to get through the day…"

Reflecting on Mrs. Mưu's words and imagining the scene of dozens of people crammed into a small, simple house for the past 10 months, I realize it's impossible to fully comprehend the hardships and deprivations they endured. Even today, 10 months after the flood, while other communes have completed numerous emergency disaster relief projects to ensure people's livelihoods and production, here in Bang Choc village, the lives of the people remain fraught with difficulties and shortages. Only the hope for a stable home remains strong in their hearts.

Living a life of stagnation, longing for a place to settle down.

Taking us to see the dilapidated, abandoned stilt houses along the stream, village head Lo Van Huong said: "The village has 45 families; of which 21 are poor or near-poor. For families not classified as poor or near-poor, life is currently very difficult because the rice fields are gone; the hillside land is barren and yields are low. Added to that are the aftermath of the flash flood, leaving the people in dire straits."

"Even in difficult times, the villagers can still support and share food and clothing with each other; but housing is a big, difficult issue, and the villagers are relying on the government," said village head Lo Van Huong.

Village head Lo Van Huong (first on the right in the photo) visits and encourages the villagers to rest assured and wait for the higher authorities to consider and allocate land for them...

Village head Lo Van Huong added that after the flood subsided, villagers surveyed the area and found cracks in the hillside that posed a risk of landslides, threatening the safety of lives and homes of more than 20 families. Along with families whose homes were damaged by the flood, 30 families in Bang Choc village need to be allocated land to build houses to protect them from natural disasters.

In accordance with the wishes of the villagers, Village Head Lo Van Huong personally visited Na Son commune many times to present the villagers' request for land to build houses. Naturally, Na Son commune fully received the village head's request, but given the extremely difficult conditions of a poor commune with no revenue, the commune's understanding only went as far as "acknowledging" the request and recommending that higher authorities consider allocating land…

A corner of Bang Choc village - where 30 families need to be urgently relocated to avoid landslides caused by natural disasters such as heavy rain and flooding.

Speaking with us, Nguyen Thanh Lam, Vice Chairman of the People's Committee of Na Son commune, said: The commune has received feedback from the people of Bang Choc village and has conducted several field surveys to assess the situation, concluding that it is essential to invest in an urgent project to resettle and stabilize the population of Bang Choc village.

On September 24, 2025 (almost two months after the flash flood), Na Son commune submitted Proposal No. 900/TTr-UBND to the People's Committee of Dien Bien province and the Department of Finance, Department of Agriculture and Environment, requesting priority investment in an urgent project to mitigate the consequences of the natural disaster in the area; including a project to resettle households in Bang Choc village, which is at risk of landslides, with a land area sufficient to accommodate approximately 30 families, and a total investment of about 15 billion VND. However, the proposal was sent but received no response, and the commune understood that the higher authorities had not yet approved the allocation of funds.

However, now that a long time has passed and the rainy season is approaching, threatening the safety of hundreds of people, Na Son commune can no longer hesitate. Once again, the People's Committee of Na Son commune has submitted a proposal (Proposal No. 969/TTr-UBND, dated June 2, 2026) reaffirming that the project to resettle and stabilize households in the landslide-prone area of Bang Choc village is an urgent project that needs immediate implementation, but the commune lacks sufficient resources. Therefore, Na Son hopes that the Provincial People's Committee and the two departments: Finance, Agriculture and Environment, will consider allocating funds for the project.

When we asked Mr. Nguyen Thanh Lam further about the direction of the proposal, we received a very honest answer: "The risk to the safety of the people in Bang Choc village is real, but the commune cannot allocate the funds, so everything depends on the provincial level; the commune has no other way to proactively manage the situation than to educate and encourage the people to move to safe shelters."

Ms. Lo Thi Phuong (80 years old) said that she knew her house was very vulnerable to landslides but didn't know where to go, as no one would let six people stay in one house...

Mr. Nguyen Thanh Lam's words reminded me of the weary faces of dozens of people in Bang Choc village, where the flash flood had passed, waiting for a safe place to live. Not just a day, a week, or a month, but 10 months have passed, and elderly people like Mrs. Muu, Mrs. Buon, and Mrs. Phuong, along with dozens of children, have lived day after day in hope and fear of the ever-present danger.

Living day by day, the people of Bang Choc village constantly tell themselves, "We are hoping that the government and higher authorities will help us find a place to live!"