At 10 p.m. on November 20 (Hanoi time), from Algeria, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh chaired an urgent online meeting with leaders of ministries, agencies, and localities to discuss the situation and urgent solutions to respond to floods and natural disasters in several central provinces.

Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh speaks at the meeting – Screenshot.

Attending the meeting were Permanent Deputy Prime Minister Nguyen Hoa Binh at the Government headquarters; Deputy Prime Minister Ho Quoc Dung in Khanh Hoa; and leaders of the National Civil Defense Steering Committee.

At the second headquarters of the Dak Lak Provincial People’s Committee in Tuy Hoa Ward, attendees included: Luong Nguyen Minh Triet – Alternate Member of the Central Party Committee and Secretary of the Provincial Party Committee; Cao Thi Hoa An – Deputy Secretary of the Provincial Party Committee and Chairwoman of the Provincial People’s Council; Ta Anh Tuan – Deputy Secretary of the Provincial Party Committee and Chairman of the Provincial People’s Committee; along with members of the Provincial Party Committee’s Standing Board, leaders of the Provincial People’s Committee, and heads of provincial departments and sectors.

According to the report updated as of 8 p.m. on November 20, from the morning of November 16 until now, the region from Gia Lai to Khanh Hoa has experienced heavy rainfall, with some locations recording more than 1,700 mm (Dak Lak reported 1,792 mm). Water levels on the Ba River, Ky Lo River (Dak Lak), and Dinh Ninh Hoa River (Khanh Hoa) have reached historic highs, exceeding previous records by 0.2–1.1 meters and are currently receding.

Chairman of Dak Lak Provincial People's Committee Ta Anh Tuan reports on flood response efforts in the province.   

In his report at the meeting, Chairman of Dak Lak Provincial People's Committee Ta Anh Tuan stated that the prolonged heavy rain from November 15 to 20, 2025, has caused exceptionally large floods, leading to widespread inundation in Dak Lak province, severely affecting tens of thousands of households. Water levels on the Ba, Ky Lo, and Ban Thach rivers have reached and exceeded historic flood levels, causing deep flooding in 34 communes and wards in the eastern region and several communes in the west. According to rapid reports from localities, as of 9 PM on November 20, the province has recorded 19 deaths (with updates ongoing), six missing persons; eight houses collapsed and were swept away, over 22,900 houses flooded, 1,123 households isolated, and 7,765 households evacuated; 43 households are at risk of landslides. Flooding has also caused widespread power outages; 52% of telecommunications stations lost contact; 424 schools were flooded; many health stations were isolated and without power. In terms of agriculture, thousands of hectares of crops were flooded, and tens of thousands of livestock were swept away; many irrigation, transportation, and infrastructure projects were damaged. 

For recovery efforts, military, police, and border guard forces have mobilized over 12,000 personnel, hundreds of vehicles, and have relocated a total of more than 18,400 people to safety, continuing rescue operations in deep flood areas. Currently, these forces are still moving into isolated communes to assist residents. Although the forces have implemented the highest rescue plans and used various means to access affected areas, swift water currents have hindered their entry. To prepare for post-recovery efforts, the Dak Lak Provincial People's Committee has requested central support of 200 billion VND, 2,000 tons of rice, and essential supplies for disaster relief. 

Speaking at the meeting, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh urged all forces and local authorities to focus their utmost efforts on rescue operations, considering this the most urgent and important task at this time, with the highest goal of minimizing human losses. 

The Prime Minister commended the proactive measures taken by localities in disaster prevention and recovery efforts, while also extending condolences to families of the deceased, missing, and injured. However, given the situation of residents being isolated and deeply flooded in many areas, the Prime Minister emphasized the need to reach out to people in these submerged and cut-off areas to implement rescue operations immediately overnight. He also called for timely provision of food and supplies to isolated regions. Ready-to-eat food and dry rations must be produced, transported, and distributed to the people as quickly as possible.

The scene of the meeting at the Dak Lak provincial.

Along with ongoing rescue efforts, localities must prioritize the search for missing persons, medical care for the injured, temporary accommodation for households that have lost their homes, and repairs to structures that can be restored. Education, healthcare, environmental sanitation, and the restoration of electricity and transportation systems must be given top priority. At the same time, it is essential to assess and evaluate the damage caused by natural disasters and progressively restore livelihoods for affected communities.

The Prime Minister emphasized the spirit of mutual support, calling on the entire population to assist one another: “Those who have something should help; those who have resources should contribute; and those who can provide labor should do so.” The Prime Minister assigned the Ministry of Finance to allocate the budget to support localities; military and police forces to maintain and mobilize maximum personnel and equipment for rescue operations; the Ministry of Science and Technology to urgently restore communication networks; the Ministry of Construction and the Ministry of Public Security to clear essential transportation routes and restrict movement in landslide-prone areas; and the Ministry of Education and Training to consider allowing students to return to school only when absolute safety is ensured.