Heavy downpours flood streets in central Vietnam

Dozens of streets in Da Nang and Nghe An and Ha Tinh provinces were flooded after heavy rains since Sunday night, causing vehicles to malfunction and traffic to be congested.

Due to impacts of a mass of cold air, localities in the northern parts of central Vietnam experienced torrential downpours. In Nghe An’s capital Vinh, at around 7 a.m. Monday, several streets like Le Hong Phong, Truong Thi, Ho Tung Mau and Phong Dinh were rendered 30-50 cm underwater.

Roads were inundated during rush hours, causing traffic congestion.

Pham Thanh Tam said he took his child to school at 6:30 a.m., and it took them an hour to get to the kindergarten which was 3 km away. Several other children were also late to school and class due to the rains and floods.

Heavy rains still persisted at 9 a.m. and recovery vehicles were present to bring other vehicles through heavily flooded areas, like Duy Tan Street. On Dinh Cong Trang Street, authorities have erected warnings to prevent vehicles from going through the area. Some people had to push their vehicles through over a kilometer of flooded street to look for a repair shop.

Police forces of Vinh City had sent dozens of officers to the field to coordinate traffic and update images of flooded streets on social media to inform people of routes to avoid and take.

In Ha Tinh, heavy rains have rendered several streets in Can Loc District to be 25-30 cm underwater, and as floodwater invaded certain schools in the area, parents were informed to take their children home instead. Thousands of kindergarteners and primary school students were off school as a result.

In Huong Son District, rubbles from the mountains and hills of Son Chau Commune tumbled down National Highway 1A, impeding traffic. Authorities have deployed personnel to erect warnings, and cleanup would begin once the rains subside.

In Da Nang, DT601 highway running through Hoa Vang District was eroded due to heavy rains of 200 mm in seven hours. Rubbles and trees were seen blocking the road on Monday morning. The management committee for Da Nang investment and construction projects has sent machines to the area for cleanup.

As several parts of the road are under construction, authorities have to set up warning signs on flooded parts.

Hoa Bac Commune authorities also sent personnel to the site to prevent people and vehicles from passing through the area.

Floodwater from upstream Cu De River caused several low-laying neighborhoods in Hoa Lien and Hoa Bac communes to be flooded as well.

While heavy rains were seen in downtown Da Nang, they have not caused any flooding.

The Da Nang Department of Education and Training on Monday allowed over 290,000 kindergarteners and students to stay home amid rains and floods.

Northern parts of central Vietnam began to feel the brunt of the mass of cold air starting Sunday night, according to the National Center for Hydro-Meteorological Forecasting. The lowest temperatures recorded in localities from Thanh Hoa to Thua Thien-Hue range between 21-23 degrees Celsius.

Nghe An is expected to see the heaviest rains in central Vietnam on Monday, at 30-80 mm. Rains would then move southward. Ha Tinh would see rain levels between 60-150 mm on Monday and Tuesday. Localities from Quang Binh to Phu Yen will see rain levels between 80-250 mm.

From Tuesday to Friday, localities from Quang Binh to Phu Yen will continue to see heavy rains at 100-400 mm.

By Duc Hung – VnExpress.net – November 12, 2023