Martin Parr: What would you save in a flood? – in pictures

The illustrator Quentin Blake with an 1820's French lithograph which is part of the 'Dialogue des Morts' series Photograph: Martin Parr/Magnum Photos/Rocket Gallery/Oxfam

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

The actor Peter Capaldi with a photo of him and his father at Butlins when he was a child Photograph: Martin Parr/Magnum Photos/Rocket Gallery/Oxfam

Phan Vy (85) and his wife Mai Thi Lai (83), with a clock that they try to keep safe from the floods in Phu Kinh village, Hai Hoa commune. Vy: 'The water raised so high last time it washed everything away. The clock and my photo are the only things left, and our land-use rights certificates. The clock was bought for me by my daughter-in-law about two years ago. We were in charge of the cooking when they were in the field, and sometimes there would be no lunch for them because we didn't know what the time was. I usually save it during the flood and put it on the platform but this time it came so quickly I had no time, I had to evacuate so quickly. It's different compared to 20 or 30 years ago, there are more storms, and the floods are higher and more destructive. Only weather forecasters know why it's happening. It's a supernatural process' Photograph: Martin Parr/Magnum Photos/Rocket Gallery/Oxfam

The comedian Shappi Khorsandi with Morph and Chas dolls she made from a kit given to her by the creator David Sproxton Photograph: Martin Parr Magnum Photos/Rocket Gallery/Oxfam

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 I'd 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 writer Alain De Botton with the complete work of Proust in French Photograph: Martin Parr/Magnum Photos/Rocket Gallery/Oxfam

Nguyen Thi Ly Na (17) with her school bag that she keeps with her during floods. Phu Kinh village, Hai Hoa commune. 'I keep my schoolbooks in my bag – it's what I save when the floods come. If I don't take this away I have no books when the floods recede, so I can't study. I enjoy school, I have fun – I enjoy literature. I'd like to be a teacher when I'm older ... When the floods come I get scared, I worry that the house will collapse. When we know it's coming we strengthen the house and move the household things up to the mezzanine. We live up there for five days, the four of us. Life is very hard up there, I have no freedom, I cannot stretch' Photograph: Martin Parr/Magnum Photos/Rocket Gallery/Oxfam

The artist Maggi Hambling with her Tibetan terrier Lux Photograph: Martin Parr/Magnum Photos/Rocket Gallery/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 don't send much' Photograph: Martin Parr/Magnum Photos/guardian.co.uk

The writer Philip Pullman with a woodcut created by Edward Gordon Craig of a scene from King Lear Photograph: Martin Parr/Magnum Photos/Rocket Gallery/Oxfam

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

The designer Zandra Rhodes with a sketch book full of her drawings Photograph: Martin Parr/Magnum Photos/Rocket Gallery/Oxfam

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

Glastonbury's founder, Michael Eavis, with a harmonica from Stevie Wonder when he performed at Glastonbury's 40th birthday Photograph: Martin Parr/Magnum Photos/Rocket Gallery/Oxfam

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/Rocket Gallery/Oxfam

The musician Emmanuel Jal with his passport Photograph: Martin Parr/Magnum Photos/Rocket Gallery/Oxfam

Phan Thi Lanh (61) with a cooking pot and a small bag of rice. This is all she had left to save during the last floods. Phu Kinh village, Hai Hoa commune. 'I can’t remember many floods when I was small. The floods are getting worse this year, every time it rains it floods. We lost all 5 sao [1 sao is 500m2] of rice. The recent flood we had to evacuate to the school and stayed there for three days' Photograph: Martin Parr/Magnum Photos/Rocket Gallery/Oxfam

The musician Speech Debelle with her laptop, which contains many memories including songs she's composed Photograph: Martin Parr/Magnum Photos/Rocket Gallery/Oxfam

Phan Thanh Tam (37, fisherman, also sells beer) holds up his ID card that he keeps safe when a typhoon hits. 'I have noticed that the climate is harder now; storms happen more frequently, and it’s hotter in the summer and colder in the winter. Sometimes the temperature is as low as 9C, which kills the buffalo ... When the storm comes I keep my ID card and documents safe to prevent them being damaged – I need them so I can be traced if I’m killed. To prepare for the storms we put stones up on the roof, and strengthen it with bamboo and rope' Photograph: Martin Parr/Magnum Photos/Rocket Gallery/Oxfam

The designer Paul Smith with his father's Rolleiflex camera Photograph: Martin Parr/Magnum Photos/Rocket Gallery/Oxfam

Phan Thanh Vinh, 44, fisherman and carpenter, with his sister and her daughter. He keeps his toolbox safe when the storms come. 'We have been trained on how to evacuate our houses, so when the typhoon comes we are better prepared. They have taught me how to prepare dried food, and how to strengthen the house. We use cable to tie the beams and roof together, and we drive a pile into the ground and use cable to connect it. They showed us this in a demonstration, so everyone can learn and follow. The training was one week before typhoon Ketsana, so it was very useful – I was better prepared for the typhoon, I knew what to do. It’s good – in the future, hopefully we will have more training' Photograph: Martin Parr/Magnum Photos/Rocket Gallery/Oxfam

The comedian Shazia Mirza with a notebook containing her comedy material Photograph: Martin Parr/Magnum Photos/Rocket Gallery/Oxfam

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