Swift recovery measures

The August 1 flood claimed seven lives, injured four others, and caused damage to homes, farmland, and infrastructure worth over VND 417.5 billion.

Immediately after the disaster, Xa Dung mobilised all available resources. Residents contributed around 25,000 workdays to clear inter-village roads, dismantle inundated houses, and repair water supply systems, irrigation works, and schools. Armed forces helped evacuate residents, remove mud, and move belongings to safety in villages including Cồ Dề (24 households), Háng Pu Xi (21), Phì Nhừ A (7), Suối Lư (15), and Trống Sư A (8), with a total of 350 workdays. Relief goods were delivered promptly to all affected households, allowing basic daily life to resume.

The floods brought the commune’s rural transport network to a standstill. Authorities mobilised eight excavators and three trucks from local residents and businesses to reopen major roads. Yet more than a week later, several villages such as Cồ Dề, Pó Sinh, Trống Giông, and Tào Xa  remained isolated by landslides, hampering travel and daily activities.

“On August 8, we deployed five excavators to work day and night on two key routes: from the commune centre to Cồ Dề and from Trống Giông to the old Xa Dung centre”, said Nguyễn Văn Tiến, vice chairman of Xa Dung People’s Committee. “By August 11, access to most isolated villages was restored.”

Lầu A Công, head of Cồ Dề village, said: “Since early August, prolonged heavy rain caused multiple landslides along the road to the commune centre. Now that the machinery has cleared the debris, people can ride motorbikes out of the village, though challenges remain.”

After more than 10 days of joint efforts by the armed forces, agencies, businesses, and the community, the commune has largely completed post-disaster recovery and is now focused on rebuilding, restoring production, and gradually returning life to normal.

Driving future growth

The Xa Dung commune authorities has been in operation for just over a month, and the workload, already heavy, has multiplied after the disaster. Nevertheless, local leaders are determined to help Xa Dung overcome adversity and move forward during the 2025-2030 term.

For the next term, Xa Dung has set 18 targets, five key tasks, and five strategic breakthroughs to boost socio-economic development, aiming to place the commune among the better-off upland areas of Điện Biên province.

With abundant land and labour resources, the commune plans to develop agriculture and forestry as its economic mainstay, prioritising high-value crops such as macadamia, coffee, and black cardamom to replace traditional varieties.

 By the end of 2025, Xa Dung aims to have 253 hectares of coffee and 3.31 hectares of black cardamom. Between 2025 and 2030, it plans to expand to 1,700 hectares of coffee, 200 hectares of black cardamom, and 300 hectares of newly planted macadamia.

“In the coming years, we’ll restructure production, strengthen linkages, and make full use of our land and labour potential to increase agricultural value and forest coverage, while also improving healthcare and education”, said Sùng A Măng, chairman of Xa Dung People’s Committee.

Though the commune has a large labour force, skill levels remain limited, while labour demand inside and outside the province is high. This is both a challenge and an opportunity to improve incomes. Xa Dung’s goal for 2025-2030 is to provide vocational training for 700 workers, an average of 140 a year, and create jobs for at least 200 people annually. By 2030, about 1,200 residents are expected to work regularly in enterprises and industrial zones outside the province, with more than 50 working overseas.

Mùa A Súa from Háng Pu Xi village said: “My wife and I work in Hải Phòng. We can save VND 6-7 million each month and return home during harvest season to help our family. The extra income makes life easier.”

Giàng Trọng Bình, secretary of Xa Dung’s Party Committee, said the immediate priority is stabilising livelihoods and rebuilding after the disaster, while accelerating emulation movements in all fields and preparing thoroughly for the commune’s first Party Congress for the 2025-2030 term.