Vietnam, China unite to tackle Red River flooding after Typhoon Yagi

Amidst the serious flooding in some northern localities under the impact of super typhoon Yagi, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has swiftly sought close cooperation with China in flood prevention.

On September 9, top officials of the ministry met with the Chargé d'Affaires a.i of the Chinese Embassy in Hanoi, urging concerted action.

Concurrently, representatives from the Vietnamese Embassy in China and the Vietnamese Consulate General in Kunming worked with China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Yunnan province's Foreign Affairs Office to ask for support measures to reduce the risk of flooding in the Red River basin.

Vietnamese representative agencies in China have sent diplomatic notes to ask the Chinese side to closely regulate the water flows from the upper reaches of the Red River and instruct relevant agencies to reduce or halt water discharge at upstream hydropower dams and provide timely notifications about the time, duration and volume of any planned water releases.

According to latest reports from the representative agencies, the Chinese authorities informed them on September 10 morning that two hydropower plants upstream the Red River have no immediate plans for flood discharges. The plants have suspended operation to contain floodwaters and store water.

The Chinese side is coordinating the actions of relevant ministries and agencies for effective cooperation with Vietnam.

Vietnamese representative agencies in China, following instructions of the Government and the MoF, will maintain close communication with local authorities. They will provide regular updates on the flood situation in Chinese localities that could affect Vietnam and work with Chinese authorities to promote measures to minimise water flows from upstream to downstream areas, thereby reducing flood damage in northern Vietnam's river basins.

Also on September 9, the Chinese authorities alerted Vietnam about three large, unidentified ships that had their moorings broken and were drifting toward Vietnam on the Red River.

The Vietnamese Consulate General in Kunming promptly notified relevant agencies and localities, leading to swift response measures. As of September 10, both sides successfully brought all three ships under control, averting potential damage to transport infrastructure.