EN
Hoi An: Ancient town in the middle of the sea
Hoi An ancient town was deeply flooded from around October 26 and reached its peak on October 30, 2025. According to the news at 3:30 a.m. on October 30, the water level in Hoi An reached 3.4 m, equal to the historical flood peak in 1964.
Bach Dang and Nguyen Phuc Chu streets along the Hoai River were flooded nearly 2 meters deep, Nguyen Hoang night market and the Chua Cau area were covered with water, and the Hoi An market area was flooded to the roof. People and tourists had to travel by boat.
Water rose to the roof of Hoi An market
Flooding situation along Hoai River
Mai Thanh Chuong, a photographer living in Hoi An, said: “Although people are used to floods, this time the water rose so quickly and beyond imagination that many people were unable to react. The strong currents caused some houses to lose doors and furniture to float along with the water.” Tourists were assisted by the government to evacuate to higher hotels to ensure safety, Chuong added.
Roads in the old town turned into "waterways"
In Thanh Ha pottery village, about 3 km from the old town center, 400 households were isolated for 4 days. Mr. Nguyen Van Hieu, representative of My Linh pottery establishment, said the water rose so fast that even high-placed furniture could not be saved in time. "The clay materials were dissolved, goods and machinery were swept away. The water receded slowly, so the whole village lost electricity and water, and travel only depended on rescue boats," he said. The activity of welcoming visitors to experience pottery making was completely paralyzed, and the damage could not be estimated yet.
At Cam Coffee & More, owner Tran Thao said the floodwaters rose “over the bar counter”, higher than in 2020. “I evacuated before the 29th, but the water rose so fast that everything fell over. I hired a boat to retrieve the items, but the water flowed so fast that they wouldn’t let me in. More than 20 machines such as roasters, grinders, coffee makers, refrigerators, blenders, etc. were all submerged,” she said.
People and authorities have to travel by boat.
A boat trip to get things costs about 400,000 VND, but the shop cannot be reached due to strong currents. The shop currently has 11 employees, and all operations have been suspended. “If it can be fixed, then fix it, otherwise, we have to start over. Now we can only clean up, rearrange, and slowly rebuild like a few years ago,” she said.
The lantern factory Tiếng Vọng Phố on Hai Bà Trưng Street also suffered heavy damage. On October 28, the water level was more than 2 meters high, the whole area lost power, and water was cut off in rotation. The store manager - Mr. Văn Lên said: “We had placed the items as predicted, but when the floodwaters were released, the water rose too quickly. Customers who had booked their experiences had to postpone, and the facility had to temporarily suspend operations until the water receded completely.”
Hue: Floods surpass all records, the entire city is isolated
From October 25 to 28, Hue suffered from extremely heavy rain with the amount of water pouring down the Bach Ma mountain range reaching 1,740 mm in 24 hours - the highest level in Vietnam's observation history and second in the world, only after the 1966 record on Reunion Island (France).
Torrential rains caused deep flooding throughout the city, with many inner-city streets such as Mai Thuc Loan, Le Thanh Ton, the Dong Ba River area, Kim Long... all submerged in water. The water level of the Perfume River at Kim Long at 2 p.m. on October 29 reached 4.33 m, exceeding alert level 3 by nearly 1 m, causing widespread flooding in both urban areas and the Hue Citadel.
Panorama of Hue on October 28
Nguyen Tan Anh Phong witnessed the 1999 flood when he was in high school. As someone with many years of experience in taking photos of natural disasters in Hue, according to him, "this flood can be recorded in history". "The water rose very quickly, then receded, and it seemed like it was over, but it rose again and was not inferior to the previous flood peak. It all happened within just 4 days. Most of the roads in the city turned yellow from water mixed with mud", he said.
Tourists are assisted in evacuating floodwater areas.
Even Hue Central Hospital, which rarely floods, was not spared. On the evening of October 27, the water level rose nearly 0.5 m, affecting many departments and medical equipment, which had to be urgently moved to higher floors. City police and medical staff stayed up all night to help transfer seriously ill patients, ensuring the safety of hundreds of people being treated.
In the upstream area, Le No bridge in Khe Tre commune was swept away by floodwaters, temporarily isolating thousands of households.
Hachi Homestay staff - friend Ý said, on October 27 the water level rose about 1 meter, by the afternoon of October 29 it was 1.2 meters higher, exceeding the initial prediction. Although the water started to recede on the 30th, the Imperial Citadel area was still flooded.
Flooding in Hue Imperial City on October 29
Remedies and precautions
In both Hue and Hoi An, the water is gradually receding, and the authorities and residents are preparing for recovery work. However, some flooded areas are still inaccessible and cannot be cleaned up.
According to the Hue City Hydrometeorological Station, as of October 31, water in many areas has not yet completely receded. It is forecasted that from the night of October 31 to November 5, Hue and Quang Nam may continue to have heavy rain, with some places experiencing over 100 mm/24 hours.
Although the rainfall is not expected to be as heavy as the previous one, the hydroelectric reservoirs are full, and if the rain accumulates in the mountainous areas, the river level could rise again quickly. Local authorities have repeatedly warned people not to be complacent, especially in low-lying areas.
It is forecasted that in the next 5-6 days, the Hue - Hoi An area will continue to have rain, flooding may last as the floodwaters from the previous 4 days have not yet receded.
The flood in late October 2025 left an unprecedented mark: the rainfall in Hue was record high, almost equal to the highest recorded rainfall in the world, while in Hoi An, the water rose to the roof of the central market - something locals said "had not seen in decades". In the middle of the heritage land, when the water just receded, the consequences were still messy, and the rainy season was not over yet.
