Central Vietnam Flooded by Torrential Rain; Apartment Basements Submerged, Residents Scramble to Save Property

Vinh city in the central province of Nghe An has been hit by severe flooding after more than 300 mm of heavy rain fell on September 19, submerging many urban roads and inundating the underground parking lots of several apartment buildings. Residents were seen scrambling to rescue their cars and motorbikes from the rising waters. Major streets in Vinh, including Nguyen Thi Minh Khai and Phong Dinh Cang, were inundated with water levels reaching 30-40 cm, and in some places nearly 50 cm, submerging more than half of car tires. Many apartment buildings experienced water flowing into their lobbies and underground parking areas. At the Dau Khi Hung Binh apartment building in Thanh Vinh ward, around 3 PM, after the rain subsided, Hong Hanh, a 30-year-old resident, waded through waist-deep water to the underground parking lot to retrieve her two motorbikes. She recounted that a resident group chat had alerted them to flooding in the basement at 10 AM. Many families rushed down to move their vehicles to a higher ground area in front of the lobby. However, the water level on the streets rose so rapidly, pouring into the basement like a waterfall, that residents had to carry their motorbikes up to the corridors of higher floors via emergency exits. Hanh explained that after the flooding began, water entered the elevators, causing the system to shut down. Her family had to evacuate to relatives' homes. She admitted they were complacent, having never experienced such basement flooding before, and estimated repair costs for her vehicles would be nearly VND 10 million (approximately $400 USD). The Dau Khi Hung Binh building has 18 floors with 168 apartments. Its small basement primarily housed over 200 motorbikes. Cars parked on the ground level were also affected by the flood. As of 6 PM, the basement remained deeply flooded, with many residents unable to retrieve their motorbikes. Residents were looking to rent water pumps to drain the water. The building was still without power and the elevators were not operational. Some households were stocking up on food in preparation for potential power outages, while many families had evacuated to relatives' homes. Several kilometers away, at the Tecco Green View 2 apartment building with 119 apartments, the entire basement was flooded after temporary barriers at the entrance collapsed. Seeing the strong current, many residents did not dare to venture into the basement to save their property. One resident, Hoang Trung, 27, reported that his 5-seater car parked on the internal road was submerged and could not be retrieved. 'Since noon, the water has been over the hood. Rescue vehicles were either overloaded or unable to reach us due to the deep flooding on surrounding roads,' Trung said. According to Mr. Nguyen Tien Dat, Head of the Department of Economy, Infrastructure, and Urban Planning of Thanh Vinh ward, the area has about 20 apartment complexes, some of which experienced localized flooding. However, precise figures and damage assessments are still pending. 'The basements flooded quickly, but residents could not move their vehicles to the road surface because the streets outside were flooded above the wheel level,' Dat stated. Relevant authorities are coordinating with building management boards to assess damages and implement timely support measures for residents. The Central Hydro-Meteorological Forecasting Center reported that from 7 AM to 12 PM on September 19, extremely heavy rainfall was recorded in the region from Nghe An to Quang Tri. Vinh city alone recorded 303 mm of rain, equivalent to about one-seventh of the annual average rainfall. Heavy rain is forecast to continue in the afternoon and evening of September 19 for areas from Nghe An to Thua Thien Hue. Information Source: VnExpress