Under the guidance of the Government, Vietnam has minimised the losses, especially human losses caused by Typhoon Damrey last year and Typhoon Xangsane this year. However, how to distribute money and relief aid properly to the typhoon victims remains a major issue that needs to be solved in a timely and proper way.

Right after each natural disaster, a dozen billions of VND and a dozen tonnes of food and  essential goods are quickly distributed to the victims, showing the heart of “mutual affection and mutual love” and great sympathy from administrations, social organisations, agencies and units at all levels and individuals towards people living in natural disaster-hit areas.

The Golden Heart Fund of Lao Dong (Labour) Newspaper is a case in point as it has applied four direct ways - direct reception, direct management, direct listing and direct distribution of relief aid.  Thanks to the ”four directs” motto, relief aid has been distributed in time to the victims’ households for many years.

Tran Thanh Thuy, a member from the Secretariat of the Golden Heart Fund said, “We have to balance the distribution of relief aid from individuals and enterprises to ensure that the amount of relief aid to each victim’s household depends on the level of suffering. There is no equal division.“

Along with the Golden Heart Fund of Lao Dong (Labour) newspaper, dozens of agencies and organisations have sent relief aid to typhoon victims. In fact, some typhoon-hit households received relief aid worth VND100 million while others got only VND10 million as in the case of Typhoon Chanchu although they suffered the same losses. The reason is that local authorities failed to make a full report of losses and distributed relief aid in a timely and proper way. Many agencies and organisations just came to present gifts to one target family at random.