Saigon is not the only city in Vietnam to suffer at the hands of Mother Nature this week: yesterday, a bout of torrential rain wreaked havoc on Nha Trang, paralyzing traffic and flooding thousands of homes.
According to Zing, a storm that occurred during the early hours of December 13 coupled with a damaged drainage canal in the Duong De residential area resulted in one of the worst floods the coastal city has ever experienced.
Specifically, the area surrounding Hon Xen and Vinh Hoa Wards were submerged. The news source reports that portions of Dien Bien Phu Street and 2/4 Street near the Vinh Hai Market were under at least 0.5-0.6 meters of water.
Video via Facebook user Địa điểm ăn uống Nha Trang.
The flooding also caused cracks among the rock formations at the city's edge, leading to landslides and falling rock that endangered commuters. Tuoi Tre reports that five kilometers of the 1A National Route spanning from Ru Ri Pass to Vinh Luong Commune were severely damaged
Hoang Van Long, a resident in Vinh Hai Ward, shared with the news outlet that his neighborhood hasn’t experienced flooding for years. However, ever since a slew of development projects arrived, rainwater couldn’t escape the area, thus causing frequent floods.
The landslide and flooding not only disrupted road traffic but also left several trains stranded at Nha Trang’s station. Le Hong Son, deputy director of the Nha Trang Railway Transport Company, was quoted as saying that a few of the North-South trains – including SE2, SE4 and SQN4 – were stuck in Nha Trang during the storm.
Photos via Tuoi Tre.
Part of the reason why the flash flood is particularly devastating is its timing: when the landslide and deluge hit at 1am, many families were deep in slumber and couldn’t react fast enough to salvage their property.
Photos via Tuoi Tre.
“About 1am, the water flow from the mountain got really strong, therefore all four people in my family had to hide in the attic,” Do Tuan Hoanh, a resident of Luong Hoa Commune, told Tuoi Tre. “Everything that we own, from computer to tables and chairs were deeply submerged under a mud-water mixture.” He also added that around 300 chickens on his family ranch were severely affected.
[Top photo via Zing]
