Gia Di rice cake shop is busy serving customers on the morning of November 2.

Back to the grind after the flood

On November 2, two locations of Tukcha Gia Di Rice Paper Company, on Phung Chi Kien Street and Nguyen Hue Street, reopened simultaneously. The fragrant smell of rice paper, vermicelli with fermented shrimp paste, and the cheerful laughter of the staff made the small shop space seem to come back to life after many days submerged in floodwaters.

Ms. Le Thi Di, founder of the Gia Di rice paper brand, said: “Both facilities were heavily flooded, in which the Phung Chi Kien facility had more than 1 meter of water, and the Nguyen Hue facility was flooded about 70cm. The entire system of freezers, refrigerators, computers, and food preservation equipment was damaged.” Total damage was estimated at about 200 - 300 million VND, in which the Nguyen Hue facility almost lost all of its goods, while at Phung Chi Kien, about 20 - 30% of the goods were saved thanks to having many floors to lift the goods up.

“We had placed our goods high up early, but the water rose so quickly that it knocked down a refrigerator weighing hundreds of kilograms. Most of the electronic equipment was damaged,” Ms. Di shared. As soon as the water receded, the business immediately mobilized staff to clean up, disinfect, hire repairmen, replace equipment, and check the electrical system to promptly serve customers.

Ms. Le Thi Nhung, manager of the restaurant system, added: “As the water receded, everyone rushed to work. Each person had a job - some wiped the tables, some scrubbed the kitchen, some collected trash. Everyone was soaked but still smiling, just hoping the restaurant would reopen soon.” Although 70% of the equipment and goods were damaged, thanks to the spirit of solidarity, the entire team was able to restore the premises, clean up, and be ready to welcome customers back on November 2.

In the small kitchen, chef Nguyen Hong Hanh was busy checking the processing area and instructing the staff to prepare ingredients for the morning service. She recalled: “On the afternoon of October 31, we rowed the boat down to the restaurant and worked until late at night. We were tired but happy to see the restaurant revived. Now, looking at the red fire in the kitchen and the sizzling sound of the pan, everyone felt that all the hard work had paid off,” chef Hong Hanh shared.

At 11 a.m. on November 2, at the cold storage area on Mac Dinh Chi Street ( Hue City) of Linh Vy Food Service Trading Company Limited, the working atmosphere was still bustling. The sound of pumps, the sound of pulling goods, and hurried footsteps mixed with the smell of disinfectant and cold plastic - all seemed to signal the return of a production cycle that was gradually reviving.

Director Tran Thi Anh Vy said the company was established in 2018, specializing in supplying and preserving frozen foods for export. In six years of operation, she has never witnessed such heavy damage as this time. “This area has never been flooded before, but the water rose quickly to the truck cabin and even flooded the warehouse. Of the 24 tons of goods, more than 17 tons had to be destroyed,” Ms. Vy shared.

The cold storage, along with the compressor system, electrical equipment and storage cabinets, were all severely damaged. As soon as the water receded, the company mobilized all staff to clean up, wipe away mud, remove the dryer, call repairmen, and count the damage while working. To temporarily fix the problem, the company moved the remaining goods to a temporary cold storage in the Thuan An area, thanks to the support of the City's Young Entrepreneurs Association and partner units. "We have been working continuously for the past few days, from morning to night. By this morning, we have basically fixed the problem and are ready to return to production and business," she said.

Our conversation was constantly interrupted by the young entrepreneur Anh Vy, who was coordinating work and monitoring the delivery progress for customers. “There are many difficulties, but we do not let customers be interrupted. At this time, we do not think about profits - we only hope to serve attentively, keep our reputation and trust with our partners,” said Ms. Vy.

Gia Di rice cake staff serve customers on the electronic sales system on the morning of November 2.

Join hands to restore after the flood

On the other side of the economy , technology - a sector that is less directly affected by natural disasters, also has to struggle to overcome the flood. Mr. Le Van Viet, Director of iPOS.vn Joint Stock Company, Hue City branch, said that water flooded into the office, damaging a series of computers, motherboards and power equipment. In particular, dozens of customers who are cafes and restaurants using iPOS.vn software were also deeply flooded, causing the entire sales system to be temporarily paralyzed. "The software still works thanks to cloud storage, but if there is a power outage or a computer failure, the store cannot operate," Mr. Viet said.

Immediately after the flood receded, iPOS.vn Hue sent a technical team to each customer's facility to provide free support, temporary equipment loans, replacement of components, and software reinstallation so that the store could resume operations soon. In case of needing to buy new ones, the company sold at cost price, without calculating profit.

According to Mr. Viet, this flood is a real test of the risk response capacity and spirit of cooperation of technology enterprises: "Not only saving equipment, we are also retaining data and preserving the digital life of hundreds of businesses in the area."

Ms. Le Thi Kim Hang, Vice President of the Hue City Young Entrepreneurs Association, said that almost all member businesses were severely affected, especially production and service establishments. However, the young business community is quickly taking the initiative to fix, clean up, and repair to soon stabilize production and business activities. "The team of young entrepreneurs understands that only when businesses stand up, jobs for workers will be maintained and the local economy will soon recover," Ms. Hang emphasized.

Accompanying businesses, the Hue City Business Association has launched an emergency support program for workers affected by floods, coordinating with professional associations and member businesses to implement synchronously. Businesses are requested to review and make a list of workers facing difficulties, especially those from poor households, deeply flooded houses, damaged assets, temporary job losses, etc. to promptly receive support. On that basis, the Association organizes connections and mobilizes funding from member businesses and partners, forming a fund to support production recovery - business security, in order to help workers stabilize their lives soon, and create conditions for units to soon restore production and business activities.

In early November, the traces of the disaster are still visible, but in small shops, large factories, and technology offices, the wheels have started up again. The sound of hair dryers, keyboards, and the hum of stoves all combine to create a song of revival.

Article and photos: HAI THUAN

Source: https://huengaynay.vn/kinh-te/doanh-nghiep-hue-vuot-lu-dung-day-giu-vung-nhip-san-xuat-159522.html