Write a new, bright chapter in your life.

Nestled amidst the lush green hills of western Thanh Hoa province, Sa Na village (Na Meo commune) appears peaceful in the twilight, its air tinged with the lingering scent of cooking smoke. The sturdy stilt houses, the playful laughter of children in the cultural center's courtyard, and the gentle flow of the Son stream through the Piềng Héo rice fields before merging with the Luong River create a picturesque scene that makes it hard for many to imagine that just six years ago, this place was the epicenter of a devastating flash flood.

Báo Tuyên Quang•04/06/2026

The Sa Ná resettlement area is developing day by day. (Photo: NGUYỄN HỒNG THỦY)

Unforgettable memories

In August 2019, the remnants of Typhoon No. 3 caused prolonged heavy rain in the upper reaches of the Luong River. The water level in the Son stream, flowing through Sa Na village, rose hourly. Having received warnings from the local authorities, many households managed to move to higher ground for shelter. As night fell, the rain seemed to subside, and everyone thought the danger had passed, so they rushed back to clean up their houses. But early the next morning, a flash flood from upstream unexpectedly struck. The raging, muddy water swept away soil, rocks, and trees, carrying away everything in its path.

In just a few hours, the natural disaster claimed 10 lives, left 6 missing, and injured many others. Thirty houses were completely swept away, 14 others collapsed, and fields, fish ponds, and livestock pens were buried under mud. The lifelong savings of many families vanished in an instant. From a once prosperous village, Sa Ná was almost completely wiped out, with nothing left but rocks scattered across the muddy, swampy land. The only thing that remained standing after the flood was a solidly built toilet with an elevated stainless steel tank, which still stands today as a testament to the event.

Recalling the traumatic memory, Vi Van Linh (born in 1982) is still in shock. Because his house was located on higher ground in the village, the night before the flood, his family took in nearly 15 people from the village to take temporary shelter. But when they saw the floodwaters continuing to rise, he and his relatives gathered a few sets of clothes and ran to a higher hill. He witnessed firsthand his house being swept away by the flood in just a few minutes. "At that moment, I felt my heart tighten...", he recounted, his eyes welling up with tears.

In the village, there were families who suffered even greater losses, such as Mr. Ha Van Van's family, who lost six members in the flood, leaving only him alive. Lacking the courage to stay in a place filled with so many tragic memories, he later left the village to live elsewhere.

It was in times of hardship that human compassion shone brightly in the border region. Upon receiving the news, the local authorities, along with the military and police forces, immediately deployed rescue efforts. Colonel Ho Ngoc Thu, then the Political Officer of the Na Meo Border Guard Post, still vividly remembers the tense moments of "strategic struggle" against the natural disaster. When news of the devastating flood reached Sa Na, he immediately dispatched three teams to the village to help the people. Because the roads were cut off by the storm and flood, two teams couldn't reach the village, so one team had to take a detour through Laos and then enter the village from there.

Revival in a new land

A peaceful scene at the Sa Ná resettlement village. (Photo: PHONG ĐIỆP)

But relief efforts were only the first step; the bigger challenge was how to help the people of Sa Ná begin to return to their normal lives. After numerous surveys, the authorities decided to build a new resettlement area on Pom Ngồ hill, about 1km from the old village. This area is elevated and has stable geology, reducing the risk of flash floods and landslides.

The project was implemented with unprecedented urgency. In just three months, by the end of November 2019, 51 households affected by flash floods had received new homes. Nineteen single-story houses and 32 traditional stilt houses were erected, built with sturdy foundations and structures capable of withstanding the impact of rain and floods. The community cultural center, school, power grid, and concrete roads within the village were quickly completed. The more than 3-kilometer-long road connecting the national highway to the resettlement area not only provided convenient access for residents but also offered hope for a brighter future.

What is commendable is that, alongside the decisive intervention of the government and relevant authorities, the people of Sa Ná have strived to overcome adversity, refusing to surrender to fate. The family of Mr. Ngan Van Pien (born in 1953) and Mrs. Ngan Thi Suoi (born in 1955) lost all their fields, fish ponds, and porcupine herd after the historic flood. Although they were left with nothing in their old age, they were determined to rebuild their lives. A few years after the disaster, Mr. Pien's family became one of the exemplary households in the village in developing the VAC (Garden-Pond-Livestock) model.

Vi Van Linh is now the Deputy Village Head and Security Team Leader of the village. With the care and support of the government, he and the villagers have reclaimed land and restored production after the natural disaster. The fields that were once buried under mud and rocks are now green again. His family alone harvests more than 1 ton of rice each season. In the villagers' conversations, the sighs of loss have gradually lessened, replaced by stories about the harvest, their children's education, and their plans to escape poverty.

According to the leaders of Na Meo commune, the lives of the people in Sa Na have seen many positive changes, with the poverty rate decreasing year by year. Many young people are pursuing vocational training or working abroad to increase their family income. Mr. Le Van Tho, Vice Chairman of the People's Committee of Na Meo commune, said: “The Sa Na resettlement area has now been recognized as a model village meeting the standards of the new rural development program. This is not only the result of infrastructure investment, but also reflects the changes in people's lives and their efforts to improve their lives after the natural disaster.”