Martin Parr: After the floods in Vietnam for Oxfam

Nguyen Thi Diu, 58, holds up her ID card that she keeps safe when floods hit her village of Hung Nhon, Hai Hoa commune. "I lost everything in the 99 floods and now I have nothing, just my ID card. My husband died in 1973, my two children have moved away but they have no jobs. I need my ID card to be able to collect the money they send home to me, but they donÕt send much." Photograph: Martin Parr/Magnum Photos/guardian.co.uk

Nguyen Thi Hoa (28), with her mother and family, including baby girl Vo Phuong Thuy (1), perched on the raised bed they live on during floods in Hoi Dien village, Hai Hoa commune."During the floods I keep food, two pans, vegetables, fuel, and a lamp on my raised bed ... But nothing is precious to me, I am so poor.". After floods destroyed their home and rice crops, the family has got into debt to rebuild their life. Hoa's husband has been forced to look for work as a labourer in Ha Noi. ."I don't know how I'll pay off the debts - I rely on the income of my husband. I feel sorry that he has to go away to work. He must stay in Ha Noi for a long time, so I won't see him." Photograph: Martin Parr/Magnum Photos/guardian.co.uk

Ho Thi Du, 70, holding a rice sack full of clothes that she was able to save from the last floods, Phu Kinh village. "The flood came so quickly, and the water was so fast, so I had to be evacuated from my house. I only had time to grab my bag of clothes and went to the two-storey school. I only had my clothes because I am so poor I cannot buy anything precious. When I returned the roof was destroyed and everything seemed to have been washed away by the big waves. The only thing left was my bed and table that I'd weighed down with bricks. My son had to buy me a new rice cooker - even my cooking utensils had been washed away." Photograph: Martin Parr/Magnum Photos/guardian.co.uk

Nguyen Gia Khai (60) and his wife Nguyen Thi Thom (58) sitting on their wedding bed, holding a picture of Ho Chi Minh. ..Thom: "When the flood comes we feel very frightened. We are sleepless all night, and my heart seems to jump straight out of my chest. The rain is very heavy, the wind is so strong. The flood can sweep people away." Photograph: Martin Parr/Magnum Photos/guardian.co.uk

Tran Thi No (33), with her children Vo Van Tran Hoan (8), Vo Thi Nhi, (11), and Vo Thi My Huong (13), stand beside the possessions they save during floods, including their rice cooker and school books, Hoi Dien village, Hai Hoa commune. When the floods come, their dining table is the only safe, dry place they can store their possessions. .."This time the water was up to our knees by midnight, so we had to walk with a torch, the children too, and they nearly fell because of the strong wind. We put our wardrobe on the table, and left everything. The water eventually came as high as the table." No's husband died in 2001, and her last rice harvest was washed away in floods. She has got into debt to pay for food and her children's school fees. Photograph: Martin Parr/Magnum Photos/guardian.co.uk

Mai Thi Lai (83) holds up the land-use rights document, ID cards, and children's birth certificates that she keeps safe from the floods in Phu Kinh village, Hai Hoa commune. . Photograph: © Martin Parr/Magnum Photos/guardian.co.uk

The family of Ba Hoang Kha (72) and his daughter Hoang Thi Lieu (37) look out from the tiny raised platform in their home, where they live for days when the floods come to Trung Don, Hai Thanh commune. Kha: "When the floods come I take everything -rice, clothes, cooking pans- up to the platform, and there's no space - we can't lie down, only sit. We stay up there for five days during the floods, and we have no electricity." Photograph: Martin Parr/Magnum Photos/guardian.co.uk

Fishing boats on the beach, My Thuy village, Hai An commune. People in this fishing community say that storms and typhoons are becoming stronger and more frequent, making it increasingly difficult to get a stable income from the sea. Photograph: Martin Parr/Magnum Photos/guardian.co.uk

Phan Thai Hung (46) picks crab from his fishing net, My Thuy village, Hai An commune. People in this fishing community say that storms and typhoons are becoming stronger and more frequent, making it increasingly difficult to get a stable income from the sea..."Fishing can't provide enough income for my family, so we have to live on a very limited budget. Storms happen more frequently - in the past it was once every 5 or 7 years, but now it's every year. My wife grows vegetables and rears chickens and ducks at home, so we have another source of income." Photograph: Martin Parr/Magnum Photos/guardian.co.uk

Le Hoai Thuong (56) with his metal detector, Con Tau village, Hai Son commune. As rice crops get repeatedly washed away by floods, and people search for alternative sources of income, Thuong goes looking for unexploded ordnance in nearby jungle, risking his life for bullets and bombs that he can sell as scrap metal. Photograph: Martin Parr/Magnum Photos/guardian.co.uk

Locals enjoy a drink at lunch, Hai Lang district. Photograph: Martin Parr/Magnum Photos/guardian.co.uk

Hoang Thi Lieu (37), daughter of Ba Hoang Kha, with the rice cooker that she takes up to her raised platform when floods come to Trung Don, Hai Thanh commune. "During floods I take my rice cooker up to the mezzanine, even though I can't use it as there is no electricity when the floods come. I need to keep it safe, and stop it from washing away. We are a poor family, this rice cooker is very precious to us, even though it may not be to people who are better off. I'd feel sad if it was washed away or broken. We'd have to use wood to cook, which takes more time." Photograph: Martin Parr/Magnum Photos/guardian.co.uk

Phan Thi Huong (15), My Thuy village, Hai An commune, with the school books she saves when storms hit. "I save my school books when the typhoon comes, because if I didn't bring my books IÕd have nothing to study. Usually during the floods and storms we can't go to school; during the last typhoon the school was closed for a week. During that week I helped to clean up the house and revise my lessons. My favourite subject is geography - I enjoy learning about nature. I'd like to be a teacher when Im older, here in my homeland..."We had to evacuate our home when the typhoon came. There were strong winds and I was scared the roof would blow away. The waves are so fierce and the sea comes right in to the village." Photograph: Martin Parr/Magnum Photos/guardian.co.uk

The alter in the house of Phan Thi Huong (15), My Thuy village, Hai An commune."We had to evacuate our home when the typhoon came. There were strong winds and I was scared the roof would blow away. The waves are so fierce and the sea comes right in to the village." Photograph: Martin Parr/Magnum Photos/guardian.co.uk

Phan Thanh Hieu (59) next to the TV he saves when the typhoon hits, My Thuy village, Hai An commune, Hai Lang district...ÒI used to be a fisherman, but now IÕm not fit enough so I make and repair fishing nets. My TV set is my most valuable possession when the storm comes. I bought it two years ago for 2,000,000 Dong (£68), I had to save money for several years. The TV means I can listen to the weather forecast and evacuate on time. I enjoyed it when I bought it Ð I could follow the news, and keep informed about the weather. "It's getting warmer these days, and we get more frequent storms. Typhoons can happen every year, and they didnÕt in the past. I don't know much about the cause, but what I can say is we suffer more from the impact of these typhoons. But in the past, we didn't have such solid houses, so the previous big typhoons destroyed everything, but now we are more resilient." Photograph: Martin Parr/Magnum Photos/guardian.co.uk

A hairdresser's, Hai Lang district, Quang Tri, central Vietnam. Photograph: Martin Parr/Magnum Photos/guardian.co.uk

Vo Thi Thuy (32), mother of four, with the suitcase of clothes and bag of food she takes with her when typhoons hit My Thuy village, Hai An commune. .."My living room collapsed during typhoon Ketsana Ð the ocean wave raised up very high and destroyed my house. The soil underneath was eroded by the water, and the room just collapsed. I was frightened, but I had already been evacuated. The waves were so high no one dared to stay, everyone was evacuated."..The central coastal province of Quang Tri is one of the most vulnerable to flooding in the whole of Vietnam, and Hai Lang district is the most vulnerable within the province. Floods and storms destroy peopleÕs homes and wash away their crops. Villagers are working with local government and organisations like Oxfam to cope with the floods and typhoons. ..FULL INTERVIEW IN REPORT BELOW PAGE 17 Photograph: Martin Parr/Magnum Photos/guardian.co.uk

Phan Vy, 85, with a photo of himself that he tries to keep safe from the floods in Phu Kinh village, Hai Hoa commune.."The water raised so high last time it washed everything away. The clock, my photo and our land-use rights certificate are the only things left. The picture was taken at a relative's wedding around 4 years ago. I was sick at the time, so my family feared I might die - they got the picture for my grave. It's very meaningful to me because if I pass away the photo will be used to worship me at the altar [In Vietnam there is a strong belief in worshipping ancestors when they have passed away]. The storm came so suddenly we had no time to store it, so we covered it with nylon and plastic to keep it safe, and hung it up high, just above the flood." Photograph: © Martin Parr/Magnum Photos/guardian.co.uk

Doan Minh Cuong (yellow hat), 51, Chairman of Red Cross for Hai Lang district, in a disaster training exercise supported by Oxfam. Oxfam works with local authorities to train communities on flood rescue, first aid, and strengthening homes, helping to minimise losses during floods and storms. Photograph: Martin Parr/Magnum Photos/guardian.co.uk

Nguyen Thi Hoa (73) and her brother-in-law Hoang Phat (60) hold up a treasured frame of flood-damaged family photos, that they try to keep safe when floods hit their vulnerable hamlet of Trung Don, Hai Thanh commune. When the floods come, they are forced to spend days living on a tiny raised platform, with only dried noodles to eat. Photograph: © Martin Parr/Magnum Photos/guardian.co.uk

A local is rescued from the river in a disaster training exercise supported by Oxfam. Photograph: Martin Parr/Magnum Photos/guardian.co.uk