Floods rise again at night in Hoi An ancient town

Heavy rain over a large area caused many hydroelectric reservoirs to release water, causing water from upstream to quickly flood Hoi An ancient town again at night.

Floodwaters rose on Bach Dang Street, causing flooding of about 0.4m overnight.

At approximately 10 PM on November 15th, the Hoai River's water level rose, overflowing almost the entire Bach Dang street, with the deepest point reaching about 0.4 meters. Water continued to flow into streets intersecting with Bach Dang, such as Hoang Van Thu, Le Loi, and Chau Thuong Van, paralyzing nighttime business activities.

Residents in the Old Quarter were urgently moving their belongings and pushing motorbikes and electric bicycles to areas more than a meter higher. Many restaurants and cafes closed early to avoid flooding, but some foreign tourists still sat watching the rain, or even waded through knee-deep water to stroll through the streets.

Locals say the Bach Dang road is often flooded whenever there is heavy rain, with water flowing in from upstream. This year, Hoi An experienced a historic flood, with water levels on this road rising to 2.5 meters at one point. "Although people are used to floods, they are not being complacent. During the night, many households proactively raised their goods to avoid damage, as happened at the end of October," said Mr. Nguyen Anh Cuong.

From the end of October to the beginning of November, the old town was continuously submerged in water due to rising floodwaters, causing significant damage to businesses selling souvenirs, silk, and clothing. It wasn't until November 8th that Bach Dang Street was completely dry again.

People rushed to move their belongings to avoid damage.

According to the Central Vietnam Meteorological and Hydrological Station, over the past 24 hours, Da Nang city experienced moderate to heavy rain, with some areas receiving very heavy rain; the total rainfall from 7 PM on November 15th to 7 PM on November 16th reached 40-80 mm, with mountainous and southern areas of the city receiving 90-140 mm. From tonight until the afternoon of November 18th, communes and wards in the midland and mountainous areas of southern Da Nang are forecast to experience heavy to very heavy rain, generally 150-300 mm, with some areas exceeding 400 mm; northern mountainous areas are forecast to receive 100-200 mm, with some areas exceeding 300 mm.

On November 16th, heavy rainfall upstream caused a significant increase in water flow into hydroelectric reservoirs, forcing many reservoirs to release water downstream. By evening, the inflow into some large reservoirs continued to increase, causing localized flooding in low-lying areas of Nong Son and Thuong Duc.

The continuous rain over the past 20 days has also caused repeated landslides in the mountainous areas. On the morning of November 13th, a landslide on a hillside in Pứt village, Hùng Sơn commune, resulted in three people missing. On the afternoon of November 16th, another landslide buried National Highway 40B between Nam Trà My and Trà Linh; many people managed to escape, so there were no casualties.

Hoi An Ancient Town was recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1999 thanks to its unique architectural and cultural value as a once bustling international trading port in the 16th and 17th centuries. For nearly a month, heavy and prolonged rains have caused the ancient town to flood several times, disrupting tourism – Hoi An's main source of revenue. Many streets, attractions, and boat services on the Hoai River have had to temporarily close, resulting in a significant drop in visitor numbers, and shops are operating at a reduced capacity due to concerns about sudden flooding.

According to VnE

Source: https://baohaiphong.vn/lu-lai-dang-trong-dem-o-pho-co-hoi-an-526922.html