Flooding caused by record rainfall has inundated large areas of central Vietnam in recent days, with the former imperial capitals of Hue and Hoi An, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, being the hardest hit.
According to Reuters, photos circulating in state media showed large parts of the two locations remained flooded, with some houses submerged up to their roofs.
Vietnam is prone to frequent deadly storms and floods that cause widespread property damage, especially during the storm season from June to October.
Floodwaters began to recede on Friday in Hoi An, a well-preserved ancient city that was a thriving trading port in Southeast Asia from the 15th to 19th centuries.
Most tourists have canceled hotel reservations for Hoi An, which attracted more than 4.4 million tourists last year, including nearly 3.6 million foreign tourists.
The floods also left 11 people missing, inundated more than 116,000 homes and 5,000 hectares of crops, damaged roads and railways, and cut off transport and power in several areas, the government’s disaster agency said in a report.
Heavy rain is expected to continue in central Vietnam, with some areas receiving more than 500 millimeters of rainfall in a single day from early Friday morning until late Saturday, the report said.
Master’s degree/PR