According to the provincial Water Resources Sub-department, intense rainfall hit several communes from the evening of May 16, with rainfall reaching 314mm at Minh Long station in Ly Quoc Commune and 213mm at Dam Thuy station.
Residents in Ly Quoc Commune said flash floods damaged roads near Nguom Bang cave and swept away a passenger bus, leaving the vehicle heavily damaged.
The flooding inundated 114 houses in Ly Quoc Commune, while a kindergarten and primary school in Minh Long were also flooded. Rice fields and crops in low-lying areas near streams in Ly Quoc and Dam Thuy communes were damaged.
National Highway 4A was submerged near Ban Thang bridge and Nguom Bang cave, while landslides hit sections of Provincial Road 206. Floodwaters more than three metres deep also inundated rural roads in Ban Thang hamlet and the Na Mu bridge area.
By the morning of May 17, floodwaters had largely receded from residential areas, although light rain continued.
Vietnam’s National Centre for Hydro-Meteorological Forecasting said northeastern provinces, Thanh Hoa and northern Nghe An saw moderate to heavy rain overnight, with some areas recording extremely heavy rainfall.
Forecasters warned that saturated ground conditions were increasing the risk of flash floods, landslides and ground subsidence in mountainous areas.
Cao Bang was forecast to receive an additional 20mm to 70mm of rain on May 17, with some areas expected to exceed 70mm.
Authorities warned that flash floods and landslides could disrupt transport, threaten lives and damage infrastructure and agricultural production.