Families whose houses were damaged in a hailstorm gather to hear about the assistance being provided by city authorities on Wednesday.

Relief efforts underway after hailstorm batters Vientiane

City authorities are carrying out relief and recovery operations after a hailstorm caused widespread damage in Sikhottabong and Naxaithong districts on Sunday, affecting more than 5,000 houses and damaging numerous other buildings.
The storm struck at around 4pm, bringing squalls and giant hailstones. In Sikhottabong district, seven villages were severely impacted, with over 4,500 households affected. Thousands of homes sustained damage, along with schools, a temple, health facilities and government buildings.
Military infrastructure was also hit, with more than 100 buildings and at least 46 vehicles damaged. Eight people were reported injured, according to the National Disaster Management Committee.
In neighbouring Naxaithong district, 478 households in seven villages were affected. Sikeut village took the brunt of the storm, with 298 houses impacted, followed by Nanglian village with 95. Other villages, including Xaymoungkhoun, Dongluang, Pakhaet, Naxay-neua and Naxaykang, reported varying levels of damage.
People in both districts are now struggling to recover. Power outages and damaged electrical systems have disrupted daily life, while water shortages have emerged due to the failure of pumping systems. Communication networks, including services from Unitel and Lao Telecom, remain partially down in some areas, complicating the co-ordination of relief efforts.
Recovery has also been slowed by shortages of roofing materials and skilled labour, and several schools have temporarily closed as families focus on rebuilding.
Emergency supplies valued at more than 1.4 billion kip has been provided, including rice, drinking water and other household essentials. Additional support has come from private donors and volunteer groups.
Damage assessments are still ongoing, with committees at district, capital and central levels compiling data to determine the full extent of losses and formulate recovery plans. Military personnel have also been deployed to assist with clean-up operations and repairs to damaged homes.
Long-term recovery efforts will be carried out in coordination with the Ministry of Labour and Social Welfare, including the provision of construction materials and financial assistance tailored to household needs.
Officials are also working with Électricité du Laos to explore electricity bill relief for low-income families.
On Wednesday, the Chairman of the Vientiane Administration Committee, Mr Sililatthongsin Thongpheng, visited affected areas to offer support and initial relief funds. He inspected the damage and instructed the relevant agencies to urgently restore electricity and water supplies.
Financial assistance was distributed to the hardest-hit villages, with funds allocated to support living expenses and healthcare.
Chansavang village was given 50 million kip, Tadthong village 50 million kip, and Phonsomboun village 100 million kip.
Mr Sililatthongsin also gave 5 million kip to each person injured during the storm and essential supplies such as rice were provided to the most needy households.

By Times Reporters
 (Latest Update March 27, 2026)