Floods kill nine in Vietnam as historic cities inundated
Torrential rains have triggered severe flooding in central Vietnam, killing nine people and leaving five missing, authorities said Wednesday.
The floods have also injured 11 people, Vietnam’s civil defence agency said in a report.
Heavy rain continued to affect the central region on Wednesday, particularly tourist destinations like Hue, Da Nang and Hoi An, according to the National Centre for Hydro-Meteorological Forecasting.
On Wednesday, Hue and Da Nang cities are forecast to receive a rainfall up to more than 400 millimetres (mm), bringing the total precipitation in the region up to 1,600 mm over the past two days.
“The rain is expected to reduce on Thursday, but the water level is still very high, it is expected to recede in two days,” local resident Hoang Ngo Tu Do told dpa
In Hue, once an imperial city, streets were inundated and residents used boats to move around.
The power was out, with schools forced to close.
The historic floods have submerged 32 out of 40 communes and wards in Hue, impacting 35,000 households, while Da Nang has seen over 75,000 households inundated.
The army has mobilized more than 6,000 officers and soldiers to evacuate 3,238 people in Hue city.
The coastal town of Hoi An - famous for its colourful lanterns and listed as a Unesco World Heritage Site - was partly underwater, with tourists wading through knee-deep floods.
Authorities issued warnings for flash floods and landslides. Further south in Quang Ngai province, several communities were already isolated following landslides, local media reported.
Vietnamese Prime Minister Phạm Minh Chính chaired an urgent meeting on Wednesday morning to direct response and recovery efforts.
The floods come just weeks after tropical storm Bualoi killed dozens in northern Vietnam, with many victims dying in floodwaters, landslides or from falling debris. More than 100,000 homes were partially or completely destroyed.