The Netherlands has agreed to provide two million euro (US$2.4 million) in disaster relief to those falling victim to the floods and rains that battered central Vietnam last month.

The Dutch government has granted the disaster relief fund and it will be channeled through the Dutch Relief Alliance, a coalition of 15 NGOs, who then will disburse the grant through their local offices and partners, Netherlandsandyou.nl quoted Dutch Ambassador to Vietnam Elsbeth Akkerman as saying on Wednesday.

Netherlandsandyou.nl is a website for all Dutch representations worldwide, including embassies, consulates, and trade offices.

The disaster relief fund will be available for the provinces in central Vietnam that suffered storms, floods, and prolonged heavy rainfall for several weeks in October.

The first-line response addresses the immediate humanitarian needs of vulnerable communities in the affected areas, which focuses on the supply of water, sanitation, hygiene, food, cooking stoves, and cash.

The second-line structural response deploys multi-purpose cash transfers and vouchers to support the restart of resilient and sustainable livelihoods.

“On behalf of the Netherlands government, I would like to convey our heartfelt condolences to the people and the government of Vietnam over the great losses of lives, the displacement of families, and the widespread damage to property and infrastructure,” said Ambassador Akkerman.

“Both Vietnam and the Netherlands are vulnerable to extreme weather events.

“Climate change worsens this situation.

“We stand with Vietnam in these difficult times.

“And we will continue to cooperate with Vietnam on climate adaptation, water management, and natural disaster risk mitigation to address these vulnerabilities structurally.

“But for now, we focus on the immediate humanitarian response.”

Vietnam and the Netherlands have a long-standing strategic partnership to collaborate in climate adaptation and water management.

Through this partnership, Dutch expertise is mobilized to cope with Vietnam’s multiple water challenges: too much, too little, and too dirty water.

The past and current disasters show once again that both countries face similar challenges along their coasts.

These coastal zones are on the one hand the most important economic zones and on the other hand the most vulnerable areas.

The aim of the Dutch-Vietnamese cooperation is to turn vulnerabilities along the coast and in the Mekong Delta into resilience and sustainable, inclusive development.

The Netherlands is actively engaging the Dutch private sector to collaborate in these efforts.

Aid and trade go together and can reinforce each other. 

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