Non-profit goods to people in flood-hit areas

Hàng hóa không lợi nhuận đến với bà con vùng bão lũ - Ảnh 1. — Saigon Co.op staff vacuum-sealed packages including fast food and essential personal items for people in flood-hit areas - Photo: HONG CHAU

The programme includes a key initiative called “Non-Profit Goods for People, Flood Relief Organisations”, to ensure that people in affected areas as well as volunteer organisations have access to essential items.

Through concrete initiatives such as providing non-profit goods, stabilizing prices and providing logistical support, we want to demonstrate our strong commitment to the Vietnamese community, in the current situation, with those who are heavily affected by floods and natural disasters.

Mr. Nguyen Anh Duc (General Director of Saigon Co.op)

Stabilize prices for essential goods

To do this, the Co.opmart supermarket system - a retail chain of Saigon Co.op - has prepared packages including fast meals and essential personal items for people.

These packages are vacuum-sealed for easy long-distance transportation and ensure hygiene. Priced from 30,000 to 100,000 VND/portion, the items include clean water, sausages, rice cakes, toothbrushes, toothpaste and other personal hygiene products.

According to a representative of Saigon Co.op, all of these items are sold at original prices and are ready to provide transportation services for these packages to necessary locations upon request, supporting the distribution of relief goods.

In addition, in the process of overcoming the consequences of natural disasters, ensuring the supply and stabilizing the prices of essential goods is also not easy, but Saigon Co.op is still committed to maintaining stable prices at 800 points of sale nationwide.

Specifically in the North, the system has cooperated with business partners to share costs, ensuring that essential items such as vegetables, bottled water and dry foods remain reasonably priced even in the context of rising transportation and supply chain costs.

Typhoon Yagi caused significant damage to agriculture , especially banana growers in Hung Yen and Hoa Binh provinces. To help reduce the losses for farmers, Saigon Co.op has cooperated with local cooperatives and farmers to purchase 3.5 tons of microwave bananas, a specialty of the region, at a non-profitable price.

These bananas are sold through the Co.op Food system in the North, ensuring that farmers are paid a fair price while consumers can still buy them at affordable prices. This initiative highlights Saigon Co.op’s commitment to supporting the local economy and strengthening agricultural resilience in the face of natural disasters.

In the days following Typhoon Yagi, Saigon Co.op's distribution centers were put on high alert, operating 24/7 to coordinate transportation and ensure essential goods were delivered quickly to distribution centers in the North.

More than 800 points of sale also act as satellite warehouses, helping Saigon Co.op be ready to respond to various logistical challenges, ensuring that relief goods reach areas in need.

Saigon Co.op has also identified the difficulties in transportation caused by flooded roads and landslides. Therefore, the units have deployed specialized vehicles capable of passing through the affected areas, ensuring that both goods and people are moved safely to the severely damaged areas.

Saigon Co.op’s response to the disaster went beyond providing supplies and logistical support. Recognizing the urgent need for direct on-site assistance, the company encouraged employees from unaffected areas to volunteer in disaster-hit areas.

These volunteers have played a vital role in helping local communities recover from the storm, from assisting in the distribution of relief supplies to helping farmers and residents restore their daily lives.

According to Mr. Nguyen Anh Duc, General Director of Saigon Co.op, the unit has expanded its partnerships with organizations such as the Red Cross, the Labor Federation and the Youth Union, ensuring that relief efforts reach those most in need. Thanks to these partnerships, Saigon Co.op not only contributes materially but also provides spiritual support, helping people return to normal life soon after the storm.

Proactively plan early

Explaining these plans, Mr. Nguyen Anh Duc said that with many years of experience as a retailer, the system had predicted the possible impacts of Typhoon Yagi and made necessary preparations in advance.

“We had a plan in place even before news of Typhoon Yagi broke,” Duc said. And those preparations proved effective in the immediate post-typhoon relief efforts, with the retailer now focusing on continuing to support northern areas facing the effects of flooding.

Saigon Co.op’s early actions, such as quadrupling the supply of critical goods such as ready-to-eat meals and shelf-stable foods, have ensured that there are no food shortages in affected areas. The chain also said it will continue to deliver critical supplies to communities in need.

These efforts will be crucial in the coming weeks, as many areas remain isolated due to flooding and damaged transport infrastructure. In addition, the unit’s relief efforts have been bolstered by a strong volunteer network that will continue to support people in their recovery efforts.

Mr. Nguyen Anh Duc emphasized that supporting the community is not only a social responsibility but also an indispensable part of Saigon Co.op's business philosophy. "We believe that a business is only truly successful when it contributes to the development and stability of the community it serves," Mr. Duc shared.

Saigon Co.op General Director added: "The relief efforts after Typhoon Yagi are a prime example of how Vietnamese retailers are always ready to act to protect and support the community in times of need.

Community Oriented in All Business Activities

Although a retail cooperative, Saigon Co.op has long emphasized the community-first philosophy. This spirit is especially evident in their disaster relief and humanitarian assistance efforts.

Instead of focusing only on short-term profits, Saigon Co.op has focused on supporting disadvantaged communities, thereby strengthening people's trust and support for the Saigon Co.op brand.