The first meeting of the National Civil Defence Steering Committee

Delegates attend the meeting at the Hung Yen’s bridge point.

At the Hung Yen’s bridge point, the conference drew the attendance of comrades: Nguyen Khac Than, Deputy Secretary of the Provincial Party Committee, Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee, Head of the Provincial Civil Defence Steering Committee; comrades of the Standing Board of the Provincial Party Committee; members of the Provincial Civil Defence Steering Committee; leaders of relevant departments and branches.

According to the report at the meeting, in 2024 and the first months of 2025, the whole country has experienced 10,225 accidents, incidents, and natural disasters with increasingly serious scale and severity. Of which, there were 13 storms, 3 tropical depressions, 240 heavy rains causing flooding, flash floods, landslides; 278 thunderstorms, lightning, hails; 472 earthquakes; many cold spells, hot weather, strong winds at sea. The consequences left 1,389 dead people, 398 missing ones, 2,861 injured; caused great damage to property, environment, houses, crops, vehicles and infrastructure.

In that situation, the National Steering Committee for Civil Defence advised the Government and the Prime Minister to direct drastic and synchronous response solutions. Ministries, sectors and localities have proactively and effectively carried out natural disaster prevention and control, search and rescue, gradually shifting from passive to proactive, contributing to ensuring the safety of people's lives and properties, stabilizing socio-economic development, and consolidating national defense and security.

The awareness and responsibility of Party committees, authorities at all levels and people on civil defence have been increasingly enhanced. The command and control system from the central to local levels has continued to be improved, specialized forces have been consolidated in the direction of specialization; training and exercises have changed positively, close to reality; equipment and means of search and rescue have received attention and investment. The coordination between the armed forces and ministries, sectors and localities has become increasingly close, creating a combined strength in responding to emergency situations.

The work of building and perfecting the system of legal documents on civil defence continues to be promoted. The newly issued laws such as the Law on Civil Defence, the Law on Fire Prevention and Fighting and Rescue, the Law on Natural Disaster Prevention and Control, etc. have created a solid legal basis, improving the effectiveness and efficiency of state management in this field.

Notably, the activities to support the recovery of the consequences of the earthquake in Myanmar have demonstrated the humanitarian spirit and international responsibility of the Party, State and People of Vietnam, leaving a deep impression on the people of the neighboring country and the international community.

In addition to the achieved results, the work of civil defence still has such limitations as: the information, propaganda and dissemination of laws are not extensive; rescue vehicles in remote areas are still lacking; the capacity to forecast and warn of extreme natural disasters still has many difficulties...

At the meeting, delegates focused on discussing and clearly analyzing the existing problems and causes; at the same time, proposed solutions to improve the effectiveness of the Steering Committees for Civil Defence at all levels in the coming time.

Speaking at the meeting, on behalf of General Secretary To Lam, the Party and State leaders, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh sent his deepest condolences to the relatives and families of victims of natural disasters, especially the relatives and families of victims who died or went missing in the shipwreck in Quang Ninh and in storm No. 3 in recent days.

The Prime Minister also acknowledged and commended the efforts of ministries, branches and localities in natural disaster prevention, control and rescue in recent times. The Prime Minister emphasized: Given the fierce and irregular developments of natural disasters, natural disaster prevention and control is an important and long-term political task, requiring the participation of the entire political system and the entire population. Therefore, all levels, branches and localities need to continue to raise awareness, leadership and management capacity; strengthen the legal system and organizational apparatus; invest in facilities and equipment suitable for each locality and each type of risk. To strengthen information and propaganda work so that people can proactively respond to natural disasters; at the same time, improve the ability to forecast, give early warnings, and respond to natural disasters and incidents to minimize human and property damage.

The Prime Minister requested all levels and sectors to continue to coordinate closely and synchronously, promote the combined strength in advising and directing, performing natural disaster prevention and control work; decentralize and define responsibilities to ensure the principle of "6 clear" (clear people, clear work, clear time, clear responsibility, clear authority and clear results) and be proactive early and from afar, not be passive or surprised in responding to all natural disaster situations. Taking people as the center, each commune and ward is a fortress in responding to natural disasters according to the motto "4 on-site". The military and police forces promote the leading role, ready means and human resources to support localities in participating in preventing, combating and overcoming consequences caused by natural disasters.

Previously, the Government Office announced the Prime Minister's Decision on reorganizing the National Civil Defence Steering Committee; the National Steering Committee for Natural Disaster Prevention and Control; the National Committee for Incident and Natural Disaster Response and Search and Rescue into the National Steering Committee for Civil Defence.