Dear friends,

My name is Jane Chisholm. I am an Australian citizen in my 60s, and I have lived in Melbourne for the past 47 years. I am asking for your help — not for myself, but for my dear friend Ly in Vietnam.

Vietnam is currently under water from north to south after record rainfall and catastrophic flooding. Everyday people have lost everything. Homes are submerged to their roofs, families are stranded, and there is no way for many to feed themselves.

I have known Ly for nine years. Her full name is Hiep Ngo, she is 36 years old, a mother of two, and has lived in Vietnam all her life. Since 2016, I have supported Ly and her small charity group based in Hoi An, which provides food and educational supplies to ethnic minority families living in remote mountain regions. In all the years I have known her, this is the very first time she has asked for help like this.

This crisis is different. It is not only the mountain children who need help, it is entire communities.

Ly is urgently seeking support for the people of Phu Yen, a remote coastal province in central Vietnam. Floodwaters there have risen to rooftop level. Families are sitting on their roofs with nothing. They have no food, no clean water, no clothes, and no way to begin again.

Ly and her group have already sent five trucks of emergency aid (rice, noodles and water) but it is nowhere near enough. Beyond food and water, people now urgently need basic supplies to clean up what remains of their homes: mops, brooms, buckets, shovels, and clothing. Without these essentials, they cannot begin to rebuild their lives.

To give a sense of how far your donation can go:

The Vietnamese people are resilient, resourceful and proud but right now, they need help. Any contribution, no matter how small, will go directly to those who are desperate and displaced.

If you could help me help Ly, and in turn help the people of Phu Yen, I would be eternally grateful.

All funds raised will be used directly on the ground in Vietnam to support families in Phu Yen who have lost their homes and possessions due to severe flooding. Every purchase will be made locally where possible, supporting local businesses while ensuring fast delivery to those in need.

With heartfelt thanks,

Jane.