Charity during the flood season: Don't let kindness be taken advantage of and resources be wasted

Every storm and flood season, people across the country turn to areas affected by natural disasters. But besides the heartwarming stories, demonstrating the spirit of mutual love of the Vietnamese people, there are still sad phenomena in charity, such as: appeals, lack of transparency in spending, overlapping distribution, and even taking advantage of compassion for personal gain.

Fake accounts “call for aid”: Donation trap after floods

During the flood season in early October 2025, Bac Ninh Provincial Police warned of the appearance of a fake fanpage "Vietnam Red Cross Society" continuously running advertisements calling for support for "Cao Bang people to overcome the storm and flood", but leaving personal account numbers. The police agency determined that this was a trick to take advantage of the community's trust to appropriate donations and advised people to only transfer money through the official channels verified by the Vietnam Red Cross .

Some other scams have also been recorded, such as running ads calling for money transfers to personal accounts; sending messages/links "receive support - verify donations" to steal OTP codes and take over accounts; pretending to be a source selling relief items (life jackets, flashlights, etc.) or dispatching rescue boats, asking for deposits in advance and then blocking communication; even impersonating officials and volunteers to collect "transportation fees, verification fees". Authorities recommend that people only support through verified official channels, do not provide OTP/bank information, and check the authentication stamp on official sites before transferring money.

Spontaneous relief: Good but not the right way

In Ky Son district (old), Nghe An province, after the flash flood in early October 2022, the image of piles of old clothes lying on the roadside caused heartache. The authorities confirmed that there was a situation where the goods were not suitable, so people did not accept them, forcing the locality to rectify the reception and classification process. The incident reflects an inherent reality every storm and flood season: Donations "are valuable" but are not accompanied by a survey of needs, causing resources to be spread out, transportation costs are high, and efficiency is low.

On the night of October 9, a boat carrying 7 people to provide relief in Van Nham and Huu Lung communes ( Lang Son ) capsized in the middle of the flood due to an electric wire entanglement. Fortunately, local forces responded promptly. This is a clear warning about safety risks when spontaneous groups navigate boats into fast-flowing waters without knowing the terrain and lacking proper life-saving equipment. At the same time in Van Nham, many people had to eat raw instant noodles and drink water to survive due to power outages and lack of clean water, showing that sending instant noodles when there are no conditions to cook can easily be counterproductive; priority should be given to clean water, dry rations, ready-to-eat foods, flashlights, and water filtration equipment according to the needs of each stage.

Ms. Kim Hang, who has many years of volunteering experience, shared: “The spirit of mutual love of the Vietnamese people is something to be admired. But to avoid waste and situations where the authorities have to 'reversely rescue' relief groups, we should coordinate with local authorities to understand clearly what the people need and what they lack. Only by doing charity properly can we truly help our compatriots overcome difficulties.”

VNV volunteer group gives relief supplies to people affected by storms and floods in Lang Son.

A “disciplined kindness” is needed

Compassion is a beautiful human instinct, but in relief work, kindness is only truly valuable when combined with discipline and understanding. Every rainy season, hundreds of individuals and organizations call for support, but without coordination, resources can easily be dispersed or misused.

The current legal framework, especially Decree 93/2021/ND-CP, clearly stipulates the responsibilities of those who call for aid: They must publicize the purpose, time, objects and method of using the funds, and are obliged to report the results to the management agencies. However, there are still many gaps in implementation. Many individuals call for aid via social networks without registering, without statements, and distribute it arbitrarily, causing local shortages and surpluses, even causing disputes in the community.

Soldiers of Division 316, Military Region 2 help people in Phu Tho province harvest rice flooded by storms and floods.

A bright spot is the digitization of the relief channel. The program "Joining hands to provide emergency relief to people affected by storms and floods on the VNeID platform in 2025" allows people to scan QR codes and transfer money directly to official accounts announced by the Department of Administrative Police for Social Order in coordination with the Vietnam Fatherland Front. This method helps shorten the intermediary stage, create a transaction trace, facilitate reconciliation - statements and reduce the risk of impersonation.

A “disciplined kindness” also means that each individual needs to equip themselves with knowledge before donating: Verify the organization’s identity, follow the statements, and trust the official channels instead of acting on emotions. When kindness is guided by reason and the law, it becomes a sustainable and humane value.

qdnd.vn

Source: https://baolaocai.vn/tu-thien-mua-bao-lu-dung-de-long-tot-bi-loi-dung-nguon-luc-bi-lang-phi-post884784.html