Thousands of students stay home as heavy rain causes flooding in Vietnam’s Thanh Hoa

Nghi Son Elementary School in Nghi Son Ward suspended classes for the day to ensure the safety of its students and teachers.

Phan Thi Hai Yen, the school's principal, said the ward is a low-lying area that is prone to flooding.

During periods of heavy rain, water levels can rise rapidly, making travel difficult and potentially dangerous.

The school serves over 2,730 students.

“Heavy rain has caused water levels to rise, with flooding occurring in many areas.,” she said.

“To ensure the safety of students and teachers, the school reported the situation to local authorities and proactively suspended classes on Tuesday.”

The school is continuing to closely monitor weather conditions.

Once rainfall subsides and travel becomes safe, students will return to class.

Amid the worsening weather, the Thanh Hoa Department of Education and Training has urged educational institutions to regularly update warnings and forecasts concerning the tropical depression, heavy rain, thunderstorms, lightning, flooding, flash floods and landslides expected through Thursday.

Depending on actual conditions, schools have been asked to coordinate with local authorities to suspend classes when severe weather poses a risk.

Northern and north-central localities face more heavy rain

Heavy rain is forecast to continue across Phu Tho, Hanoi, Hung Yen, Ninh Binh, Thanh Hoa, Nghe An and other areas in the northern and north-central regions on Wednesday.

Rainfall might generally range from 60 to 120 millimeters.

The widespread rainfall in recent days has been caused by an upper-level convergence zone.

Some areas in northern Vietnam have recorded more than 300 millimeters of rain.

The upper-level convergence zone is expected to persist on Wednesday, bringing widespread heavy rain to many localities in the northern and north-central regions, including Thanh Hoa Province.

The spell of downpours is expected to continue through Thursday, although its intensity might gradually decline from Wednesday evening.

Residents are advised to remain alert to the risk of flooding in low-lying areas, urban centers and industrial zones, as well as flash floods along rivers and streams and landslides in mountainous areas.