Several parts of Vietnam’s Tuyen Quang Province submerged in historic flood

Under the national merging strategy, effective from July 1, the new Tuyen Quang Province was formed by merging the old province with Ha Giang Province.

According to the Vietnam National Disaster Monitoring System, at 7:00 am on Wednesday, the floodwaters on the Lo River section flowing through Ha Giang rose 2.66 meters above alert level 3, some 0.9 centimeters higher than the historic flood peak recorded in 1969.

Giang A Phon, a resident of Ha Giang 1 Ward, told Tuoi Tre (Youth) newspaper that the sudden deluge overwhelmed the area late on Tuesday night, paralyzing traffic and causing a massive power outage.

“At around 7:00 pm on Tuesday, floodwaters began rising and entered homes quickly," he said.

“Within an hour, it had flooded nearly one meter deep inside residents’ houses. 

"On Wednesday morning, the entire neighborhood was underwater, with some houses submerged up to the roofs."

He added that although the waters began receding in the afternoon, the pace was very slow.

Nguyen Thuat, a resident of Tuyen Quang Province, said that many areas in former Ha Giang Province remained underwater, with flood depths reaching up to three meters in some places.

His family has been providing shelter and assistance to about 30 people displaced from flooded parts of the old province.

“People are surviving on instant noodles and dry food. We plan to cook rice for dinner, but basic supplies like noodles and bottled water are already running out at nearby stores,” Thuat said.

“Support units are coming to help, but access is difficult – only motorboats can reach the worst-hit areas."

A report from the Civil Defense Command of Tuyen Quang Province indicated that as of midday on Wednesday, more than 4,300 homes across the province had been affected by the floods. The hardest-hit areas included Ha Giang 1 and 2 Wards.

Currently, over 2,030 homes remain isolated due to the flooding.