Typhoon Yagi claimed at least 64 lives in Vietnam as it triggered floods and landslides and ruined infrastructure across the country. The disaster devastated the livelihood of local business owner Nguyen Thi Thom, who is beginning the clean-up of her restaurant.
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00:00A 45-year-old Nguyen Thi Tom returns to what's left of her restaurant by the popular Ha Long
00:08Bay.
00:13Once filled with tourists, it's now in ruins after Typhoon Yagi ripped off its roof as
00:17it slammed into northeast Vietnam.
00:47With winds of 203 km per hour, Typhoon Yagi destroyed infrastructure across the country,
00:54ravaging thousands of local businesses and triggering landslides and floods.
00:59Damages are estimated to reach 100 million US dollars.
01:03For Nguyen, Yagi was a devastating blow.
01:09She'd borrowed money from friends and family to invest in the restaurant, so she could
01:13welcome tourists back after taking a major financial hit during the COVID pandemic.
01:19A week before the typhoon struck, she also bought audio, video and lighting equipment
01:23that cost around $120,000 USD to facilitate big events.
01:29Now all destroyed.
01:50The pain is doubled because this restaurant was not only Nguyen's sole source of income,
01:55but it served as a home for her and her two daughters.
02:01Together with the help of other locals, they've begun the cleanup.
02:05And with no other option, she's vowed to try and bring the eatery back to life.
02:25Authorities estimate it will take at least one month for businesses to rebuild and begin
02:32to reopen their doors.
02:34But with the structure of Nguyen's restaurant barely intact, there could be a much longer
02:39road to recovery.
02:41Dolphine Chen and Rosie Grenninger for Taiwan Plus.