Hoi An ancient town is strangely quiet before storm number 13

(Dan Tri) - As storm No. 13 approached the mainland, Hoi An seemed to hold its breath. Shops closed, the central market turned off its lights, leaving a rare silence amidst the storms of the Central region.

Before the storm Kalmaegi (storm No. 13) made landfall, Hoi An ancient town was quiet, completely different from its usual hustle and bustle. Since early afternoon, vendors have been busy packing up their goods, covering their shelves, and preparing to deal with the storm that is expected to cause major impacts.

By 5pm, the old city’s central market was almost silent, save for the sound of rain and wind. Hundreds of vendors had simultaneously raised their wares, covered and tied up their stalls to guard against rising water and strong winds.

Nguyen Hoang Street got dark earlier than usual, the shops and cafes were closed. The Hoai River had risen to the edge of the sidewalk, signaling the risk of flooding.

Some households in the old quarter have used tarpaulins and ropes to cover their doors and reinforce their houses against strong winds and rain.

However, there are still a few tourists taking the opportunity to stroll around and take photos at tourist attractions before the old town completely falls silent.

Ms. Anh, the owner of a coffee shop on Tran Phu Street, said she had closed since 6 p.m. due to the rain and lack of customers. "It's better to close early to be safe and wait for the storm to pass before reopening," Ms. Anh said.

Many other small businesses are also facing heavy losses from the previous floods. The fabric store of Ms. Thuy An (60 years old) on Hoang Dieu Street has been closed for 10 days now because all the fabric worth 40 million VND was damaged. Ms. An has not dared to reopen for business yet, waiting to see if storm No. 13 will continue to cause any impact.

Ms. Huong Ly (Hoi An Tay ward) has not been able to reopen her clothing store. She had to do laundry and store her clothes on scaffolding nearly 1.8m high to avoid rising water. "Many items were damaged, I am still waiting for the weather to stabilize before I dare to clean up and put them up for sale again," Ms. Ly said.

On many houses in the old town, mud stains are still clearly visible on the doors and walls, a trace of the recent flood, showing how high the water level once rose.

Currently, the entire Hoi An ancient town is almost submerged in darkness, shops and cafes have closed, stopped operating to avoid storm No. 13, only a few small lights remain from people's houses.

Source: https://dantri.com.vn/du-lich/pho-co-hoi-an-vang-lang-la-thuong-truoc-bao-so-13-20251106200926133.htm