Paul Kennedy

Expats, tourists and regulars at a Hà Nội bar really have stood up and been counted.

In a time of desperate need, customers at Puku Sports Bar answered the call, dug deep and provided much needed financial support and supplies for people affected by Typhoon Yagi.  

As soon as news came through of the devastation caused in northern Việt Nam, management at the popular venue decided to act and act fast.

“Although parts of Hà Nội suffered damage, it was mild compared to what we saw in other places in the North of Việt Nam,” said Puku manager Đào Xuân Trường.

“Puku is a popular spot for tourists and we have our own community of expat regulars who were all asking what they could do to help.

“Tourists too were keen to get on board, which is amazing. Many people will have had their vacations ruined and trips cancelled because of the storms, but still they wanted to donate and do their bit.

“We knew we needed to act fast and arranged for transport quickly. We kept our fund open for one week inviting anyone to donate and we were really impressed with the amount given.”

In seven days, a total of VNĐ75 million (US$2,800) was collected, with the money spent on essentials like gloves, boots, washing powder, dishwashing liquid, shampoo, cooking oil, salt and rice.

Minh Long Village in Tuy Lộc Commune, Yên Bái Province, was chosen as the recipient of the much-needed supplies and a truck was arranged to take the goods from Hà Nội.

All the staff at Puku also donated the tips they had earned that month.

Expat Richard Shearman, from Hertfordshire in the UK, went along on the 175km journey with Australian Puku regulars – Dan Haines and Lindsay Smith.

Richard’s company, BEC (Balanced Engineering Construction), made a substantial donation to the fund.

He said: “I know a lot of expats lucky enough to call Hà Nội home, who were incredibly moved watching the devastation and destruction caused by Typhoon Yagi and were keen to help in any way they could.

“In the great scheme of things, the supplies we delivered were quite small, but the welcome we received from people in Tuy Lộc Commune was huge.

“Their appreciation was overwhelming.”

As well as the supplies, cash was also given to families to help them rebuild their lives.

According to a report from the Steering Committee for Natural Disaster Prevention and Search and Rescue of Yên Bái Province, as of 6am on September 14, the province had 54 people dead and missing and 36 people injured.

Around 25,000 houses were damaged, 224 completely collapsed.

In Tuy Lộc Commune, where Puku delivered supplies, floods seriously affected 472 hectares of land, destroying rice crops and sweeping away and burying livestock.

“There were so many places in the province affected by Typhoon Yagi,” Trường said.

“We choose this commune because we can understand how much they relied on agriculture and in just a matter of days their whole crops for the season were destroyed.

“People sometimes complain they’ve had a bad day in the office or our bar might not be busy on certain days, but when you see the devastation caused by Typhoon Yagi in just a short space of time, it is really an eye opener. We were more than happy to help out where we could.” — VNS