Overview of the meeting with the Swiss Government's expert delegation.

Briefing the Swiss Government's expert delegation, Ms. Vu Thi Hien Hanh - Vice Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee said: Due to the impact of storm No. 3, Yen Bai province has suffered very heavy damage. Up to now, the whole province has had 54 dead and missing people; over 27,000 houses damaged by storm No. 3. Yen Bai also suffered heavy damage to agriculture, industry and infrastructure. With the support of people across the country and the world, Yen Bai province is urgently and resolutely overcoming the consequences of storm Yagi. Up to now, no locality has been isolated, 99.6% of people have had electricity restored; BTS stations have been basically restored; nearly 100% of educational institutions have allowed students to go to school and 100% of medical facilities have resumed operations.

Vice Chairwoman of the Provincial People's Committee Vu Thi Hien Hanh expressed her deep gratitude that during the most difficult time, Yen Bai province has always received the attention, sharing, support and assistance from people across the country and internationally, including emergency relief goods from the Swiss Government. Especially in the past few days, the Swiss Government's expert team to assess the damage caused by storm No. 3 has also directly visited the localities affected by storms and floods in the province. She affirmed that all relief goods from countries and organizations are very practical and necessary for people affected by storms and floods.

Immediately after receiving the relief goods, Yen Bai province quickly allocated them to functional forces to support the people in a timely manner. Vice Chairwoman of the Provincial People's Committee Vu Thi Hien Hanh also said that Yen Bai province currently needs a lot of resources to overcome the severe consequences of storms and floods, especially in terms of facilities and infrastructure. Therefore, she hopes to receive more attention and support from the international community and Switzerland. At the same time, she hopes that Switzerland will have medium-term and long-term support plans and programs for Yen Bai province, supporting the construction of villages to not only support housing and essential items for the people but also support their livelihoods in the coming time, as well as strengthen the solidarity and friendship between Vietnam and Switzerland.

Speaking at the meeting, the representative of the Swiss Government's expert delegation thanked Yen Bai province for taking the time to receive the delegation and connect information for the delegation to go directly to the scene to assess the damage caused by Typoon 3. At the same time, Switzerland is always committed to supporting any country in an emergency situation like this. Through practical assessment, the delegation is currently considering support in a number of areas such as: installing equipment to treat clean water; cleaning and sanitizing wells after flooding; cash support; clearing rocks and soil to open traffic routes. The equipment that Switzerland supports for the province is expected to help the province overcome some of the aftermath of natural disasters and floods. The delegation has also planned to provide training on how to use clean water filtration systems and tents in case of emergency disasters for Yen Bai province. This is an emergency support program so the duration is not long, however, the delegation will also consider medium and long-term support plans. At the same time, Switzerland pledged to always accompany with the Vietnamese Government and the Vietnamese people.