Only when I visited Quang Binh province to attend a workshop at the beginning of this week did I realise the full extent of the damage and suffering caused by this huge flash flood.

People in Gung hai commune have made rafts from banana trees to transport their possessions during the flood.

Heavy rains that began late last week have washed over three provinces – Nghe An, Quang Binh and Ha Tinh – where a state of emergency was declared on Tuesday afternoon.

We travelled to Gung Hai commune in Quang Binh province to make donations toflood victims. The commune secretary, Mr Tran Manh Ho, said it was the heaviest flooding the commune had seen in 100 years. Now the commune is facing difficultie ssuch as a lack of clean water, medicine and food, as well as having to search for missing victims.

He said some organisations have already come to donate urgently needed supplies including clean water, rice, instant noodles and clothes, and an army unit has also been dispatched to provide support.

“However with the current weather it’s possible there may be more flooding, so we are now working hard to help those who need it most. We are coordinating with organisations help us with boats, long-term food and clean water supply, and preparations in case of a further storm or disease outbreak,” Mr Tran said.

The commune authority is also working to find high ground where villagers can move their livestock and possessions, and build temporary housing if possible.

According to an official report, 200 communes in the region are under water, 152,000 houses have been damaged by the floods and tens of thousands of people need urgent assistance.

The floods have blocked traffic on roads and destroyed hundreds of hectares of crops in Nghe An and Ha Tinh provinces, resulting in price increases of 200 to 500 percent.

On our way back to Hanoi on Monday along the north-south A1 highway, we learned that a bus had earlier been swept off the road into a river, killing 18 passengers.

Two passengers are still missing while another 17 managed to save themselves by swimming or clinging to trees or power poles.

The bus was travelling from the Central Highlands province of Dak Nong to the capital, Hanoi, when it was swept off the country's main highway, said local official Nguyen Hien Luong.

On our journey back we also witnessed traffic chaos and many submerged roads, homes and fields of crops.

According to the website VietnamPlus, domestic and international efforts have been increasing to alleviate the suffering of storm victims.

The International Federation of Red Cross and Crescent Societies has sent out an urgent call for 1,034,754 Swiss francs (about US$1.08 million) in relief aid for the flood victims.

The Vietnamese com-munities in Laos and South Africa have also joined hands in the campaign. Vietnamese-Lao in Khammuan province have raised 70 million VND (almost US$3,600), while the Vietnamese Embassy and the Vietnamese Community Federation in Laos have raised over 170 million VND (over US$8,700) for their flood-hit compatriots.

Phoonsab Thevongsa is a Vientiane Times reporter working at the Vietnam Investment Review in Hanoi for 10 months under a journalist exchange programme supported by the Norwegian government.