Vietnam’s Hue ends historic 23-day flooding

Nguyen Van Hung, director of the municipal hydro-meteorological station, announced the good news on Friday morning.

The prolonged period of heavy rain and flooding began on October 15 and lasted until November 6.

During this period, floods swept through the city, setting several new hydrological benchmarks.

Water levels on the Huong River peaked at 5.05 meters, the second-highest level ever recorded, trailing only the devastating 1999 flood that reached 5.81 meters before the Ta Trach reservoir was built upstream.

The Bo River saw its highest flood level in history, cresting at 5.27 meters.

Rainfall in some areas reached an unprecedented level of 1,700 millimeters a day, the highest single-day total ever recorded in Vietnam.

Nearly a month of torrential rain and flooding left a heavy toll on Hue.

Fifteen people were killed, one injured, and over 100,000 homes were submerged, while roads and mountain passes were washed away or blocked by landslides, severely damaging infrastructure across the city.

The Hue Imperial Citadel experienced serious inundation, while a 15-meter section of its wall collapsed under the force of floodwaters.

The rain has stopped, so the coming week will bring more favorable weather, Hung said.

This respite will allow residents to clean up and repair their homes and for hydropower and irrigation reservoirs to safely lower their water levels.

However, he cautioned that while this historic flooding event has ended, the overall rainy season has not.

Several low-lying areas, including Quang Dien Commune and Hoa Chau Ward, remain under water.

“Climate change has made weather patterns increasingly unpredictable,” Hung warned.

“People must remain alert and closely follow official weather forecasts to prepare for potential future floods."