Small traders in Bat Trang are heartbroken to throw away pairs of vases worth hundreds of millions of dong that were broken or chipped by the flood.

Floodwaters recede in Bat Trang pottery village, many households suffer losses ranging from hundreds of millions to billions of dong - Photo: HONG QUANG

On the morning of September 13th, floodwaters on the Red River continued to recede rapidly. According to the National Center for Hydro-Meteorological Forecasting, at 7:00 AM, the water level in Hanoi was 10.02 meters, 0.48 meters below alarm level 2.

Forecasts indicate that in the next 12 hours, flood levels on the Red River in Hanoi will drop to alarm level 1, and in the following 24 hours, they will fall below alarm level 1.

From early morning, people whose homes outside the dike were flooded returned home after days of fleeing the flood.

In Bat Trang commune (Gia Lam district), many households and small traders have returned to their shops. They are busy cleaning up the mud and debris after the floodwaters receded.

The floodwaters rose rapidly, and many shops didn't have time to move their ceramic goods. For smaller items, they could only elevate them as high as possible. As for larger ceramic pieces, people proactively filled them with water to keep them stable and prevent them from being swept away or damaged.

Mr. Nguyen The Cuong (Hamlet 2, Giang Cao, Bat Trang) said the flood came so quickly that his family's pottery shop didn't have time to move its goods. Many valuable ceramic vases, worth tens of millions of dong, were shattered. "The power is still out, so we can't fully assess the damage yet. We estimate my family lost hundreds of millions of dong," Mr. Cuong said.

Meanwhile, a nearby pottery shop had dozens of vases, gilded jars, and embossed glazed ceramics broken. "I estimate my workshop suffered nearly 1 billion dong in losses; so many were broken," said the shop manager, then continued to smash the "giant" vases with a hammer.

Bat Trang commune (Gia Lam district, Hanoi) is surrounded by the Red River and the Bac Hung Hai stream. This morning, most of the water has receded, with only a few small areas still flooded, but not too deeply - Photo: HONG QUANG

The floodwaters receded quickly, and many people returned home. They brought with them many essential supplies, clean water, and engine oil to run generators - Photo: HONG QUANG

Residents are busy cleaning up their homes, with thick layers of mud covering floors and furniture - Photo: HONG QUANG

In the Giang Cao pottery street area, the electricity is still out, and many people have to use flashlights to clean up their goods - Photo: HONG QUANG

Sacks filled with broken pottery shards are piled high in Giang Cao neighborhood. "The power is still out, so we can't fully assess the damage yet. I estimate my family lost hundreds of millions of dong," said Nguyen The Cuong (Hamlet 2, Giang Cao, Bat Trang). - Photo: HONG QUANG

This shop suffered extensive damage to its large decorative vases, each estimated to be worth around 100 million VND. "It's heartbreaking, but we have no choice but to smash them and throw them away in sacks. We estimate the total loss for my workshop is nearly 1 billion VND," said the shop manager. - Photo: HONG QUANG

Some families managed to fill their water containers in time to prevent them from being swept away by the flood, causing them to collide and break - Photo: HONG QUANG

Source: https://tuoitre.vn/tieu-thuong-o-bat-trang-xot-xa-dap-bo-nhung-cap-luc-binh-ca-tram-trieu-bi-vo-me-do-lu-20240913131730871.htm