HANOI (AFP) - The floods that ravaged Vietnam twice in a month killing more than 100 people have highlighted the difficulty such disasters pose regularly in the country, despite the efforts of the authorities and international organizations.

Torrential rains in nine densely populated central regions led to massive floods and landslides, washing away entire villages, vast areas of standing crops and fragile infrastructure.

Official figures show 61 people died last week, with damage initially estimated at 35 million dollars worth.

In October, 44 people died in the same area in floods. Massive repairs carried out in haste to dykes, canals and river beds came to naught.

As they try to restore food supplies and rehouse hundreds of thousands of people left homeless, many officials sound a note of resignation.

"Floods happen every year in central areas. Local authorities and people have done their utmost to fight and to live with it. But it is difficult for human beings to win against the weather," said Do Viet Lien, a senior official from the Central Steering Committee on Flood and Storm Control.

"If we had more money to upgrade the infrastructure and to build strong houses for local people, they would no longer need to live in makeshift houses and the damages could be mitigated," the Hanoi-based official said. "However, considering Vietnam is still a poor country, it is a long-term solution."

Vietnam's central regions are especially at risk because its loose soil can hardly withstand water pressure, exposing entire riverine villages to the mercy of the elements.

On Thursday, 19 miners were buried alive as the torrents opened up while they slept in Quang Nam province.

"We update our experiences and have more preventive measures against flood every year," said an official from Committee for Flood and Storm Control in Central Provinces. "But it seems the better our preparations become, the worse and the more severe the weather is.

"Flood and storm has become more and more difficult to deal with over the recent years".

The United Nations Development Program have set up a joint assessment team gathering UN agencies and non-governmental organizations. In times of crisis, teams sent to affected areas supply information on the state of affairs on the ground, helping fine tune aid supplies. All the experts stress the need to work with the people, especially the youths, on dealing with the situation. "When the government issues a warning to the community, the words used are often very technical and not really understandable for the population," said Chitose Noguchi, assistant country director of Care International in Vietnam. "There's a lot of awareness raising to do to prepare better for the floods."

Another foreign expert said: "We cannot prevent floods. But we can certainly prevent human losses and massive damages".

"People need to know where to evacuate when the floods are coming and what to do after".

One crisis blows over. Another brews. The region is anxiously scanning the horizon for typhoon Nepartak, which has already claimed four lines in the Philippines.

"We are banning boats from going offshore. We will evacuate people in makeshift houses and take school children to safe places. Our armed forces are present everywhere, ready to help people in all conditions," said Vo Van Tien, vice-chairman of Quang Nam People's Committee.

Tuesday morning however, the typhoon was said to become much weaker. According to the Vietnamese meteorologists, it should become a tropical depression without provoking any damage.