Key streets in the ancient town such as Nguyen Thai Hoc, Bach Dang and Le Loi remained submerged 1 to 1.5 metres. The An Hoi area and Thanh Ha fish market were completely isolated, leaving boats as the only means of transport.
People travel by boats on a street in Hoi An on November 18. Photo by Ngo Linh
Le Thi Nga, 35, said her workplace continued operating despite the flooding. Staff whose homes were inundated were offered temporary accommodation along with travel and meal allowances.
“My house is nearly one metre underwater, so my whole family is living on the second floor. I cannot stay at the company because I have to look after my children. I rent a boat to get to work. The floods have turned our lives upside down and it is exhausting,” she said.
Another resident, Tran Thi Kieu, 62, said she had stocked up on essential food and medicine as the prolonged flooding disrupted daily life. Hoi An has faced repeated flooding for more than 20 days, severely affecting her family’s business.
“Yesterday I had to move things in my two souvenir stalls at the Nguyen Hoang night market when the floodwater rose again. Today, some neighbours and I rented a boat to buy food to store at home,” she said.
Hotels and homestays in Hoi An ward have also struggled. Whenever major flooding hits, Tran Thi Huong, a hotel manager in An Hoi, and her staff must evacuate guests.
“Severe flooding causes power and water outages, affecting guests’ needs, so we have to use boats to move them to other company branches,” she said.
Tourists move to dry places in Hoi An on November 18.
Despite high water, the old town remained busy with international visitors. Many first-time tourists appeared surprised to see the UNESCO heritage site surrounded by floodwater. Some wandered through the inundated streets taking rare photos or video-calling friends to share the scene.
According to the National Hydro-Meteorological Centre, water levels in Hoi An reached 2.2 metres at 2 pm on November 18.
From November 18 to the morning of November 20, mountainous wards of Danang are forecast to see heavy to extremely heavy rain of 150 to 350 millimetres, with some areas exceeding 450 millimetres.
Flood levels on the Vu Gia and Thu Bon rivers near Hoi An are expected to remain high over the next 24 hours.
