The New Zealand government has announced a NZ$1 million contribution to support Vietnam’s recovery from the devastating impacts of Typhoon Yagi. The aid will be channeled through New Zealand’s NGO disaster response partners active in Vietnam and United Nations agencies in Vietnam, focusing on emergency response and livelihood restoration.

In a letter to Deputy Prime minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Bui Thanh Son, on behalf of the New Zealand Government, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade Winston Peters has conveyed his deepest condolences to the victims of Typhoon Yagi in Northern Vietnam.

“The thoughts of all New Zealanders are with the people affected and the emergency services staff at the forefront of the ongoing response… New Zealand looks forward to leveraging the various strands of our relationship to strengthen Viet Nam’s recovery and future resilience to such catastrophic events,” Mr Peters wrote.

“As a strategic partner of Vietnam, New Zealand stands in solidarity with the Vietnamese government and people during this extremely challenging time. We hope our support will swiftly reach those in need, contributing to emergency efforts and helping affected communities rebuild their lives,” Ms. Caroline Beresford, New Zealand Ambassador to Vietnam said

Yagi was the most powerful typhoon in the East Sea in the past 30 years, and the most powerful to hit mainland Vietnam over the lasy 70 years. The super typhoon and its aftermath have wreaked havoc across northern Vietnam.

As a result, the typhoon and subsequent floods and landslides left at least 348 people dead and missing, and about 2,000 others injured, as of 6:00 p.m. on September 15, with preliminary total damage estimated at around VND40 trillion (around $1.6 billion), according to the Vietnamese Government.