Floods have devastated it killing hundreds in what experts say is the worst flooding for 70 years. Older locals refer more rcently to 1961, when hundreds also died. Heading down the road from HCM City to Ca u Long, the provincial capital of o ng Tha p, and you see the water slowly rising. What were once ponds have become lakes and what were once lakes seem to have become virtual oceans. Motorbikers swim through the traffic, their axles struggling to stay above water.
People paddle boats along the roads.
Our jeep throws a wash in its wake onto equally struggling pedal cyclists, almost blissfully uncaring. Almost as a paradox, the sun shines bright and warm. My group was here to provide boats and fishing nets for locals to allow them to fend for themselves in the wake of disaster. We visited a boat-builder and sat with him and his wife until midnight, nailing down the details of a contract. The next morning we signed an agreement to co-ordinate with the Women's Union to distribute our assistance, and the local TV station filmed us.