Vietnam's tourist sites submerged as record rainfall causes major flooding

Central Vietnam is grappling with severe flooding after record-breaking rainfall submerged key tourist sites and local communities. The city of Hue recorded an unprecedented 1,085 millimeters (42 inches) of rain within 24 hours by late Monday, marking the highest rainfall volume ever documented in the country, as reported by Vietnam's meteorological department. This heavy downpour caused the Perfume River in Hue to swell to 4.62 meters (15 feet), flooding the UNESCO-listed former imperial capital along with the ancient town of Hoi An, leaving many areas waist-deep in water. Tourists in Hoi An faced urgent evacuations after continuous rain and dam water releases caused the Hoai River to rise nearly 2 meters (6.5 feet). Around 40,000 visitors were relocated to safer hotels, according to state media. Nguyen Ngoc Anh, a hotel owner near Hoi An’s Thu Bon River, described how the floodwaters rose so quickly that guests had to be moved hastily to secure locations outside the affected zones. The owners could only lock the hotel doors before evacuating, highlighting the suddenness and severity of the situation. The flooding disrupted daily life and transportation significantly. In Hue, homes were submerged and major streets became impassable, forcing residents to use boats to get around. The important train route linking Hanoi in the north and Ho Chi Minh City in the south was suspended, affecting thousands of travelers. Authorities even placed 19 railway carriages loaded with 980 tons of stones on a vulnerable bridge Monday night to stop floodwaters from washing it away, demonstrating the severity of the threat to infrastructure. In rural areas of Thua Thien Hue province, about 1,000 people, including 200 children under the care of the Australian nonprofit Blue Dragon Children’s Foundation, were cut off by flooding and landslides. These isolated communities face challenges accessing aid or evacuating safely. Experts link the intensifying storms and rainfall to global warming, as warmer ocean temperatures fuel more powerful tropical storms with increased wind speeds and heavier precipitation. Vietnam, being one of the most flood-prone countries globally, has nearly half its population living in high-risk areas, making flooding a recurring crisis with escalating severity. The current flooding episode underscores the vulnerability of Vietnam's cultural heritage and local populations to extreme weather events. It also highlights ongoing challenges in disaster preparedness and infrastructure resilience amid changing climate patterns. The combination of natural rainfall and human water management, like dam operations, complicates flood mitigation efforts, requiring coordinated responses to protect lives, property, and the tourism economy.