On October 31, despite waters beginning to recede, major riverside streets such as Nguyen Thai Hoc, Bach Dang and Nguyen Phuc Chu remained submerged by up to 1-1.5 metres.
Some riverside streets remain submerged by up to 1-1.5 metres in Hoi An on October 31.
Amid the devastation, local residents have been working early from dawn to clear mud and debris, all while still anxious about the lingering disruption.
On Nguyen Thai Hoc street, 62-year-old souvenir shop owner Le Thi Van arrived at 4 am with her sister. She said floodwaters rose nearly 2 metres, sweeping away and damaging much of her stock. “Even though we were warned of high waters, we did not anticipate a level matching the famous 1964 flood,” she said, adding her loss exceeds 40 per cent and she is keen to reopen as soon as possible.
On the same street, fabric shop owners Nguyen Van Huong, 53, and his wife said they saved much of their contents by relocating them to the second floor. Still, the speed and height of the rise caught them off-guard.
At Hoi An Market, stalls were blanketed in thick mud and strewn with debris; many vendors report losses of 60-80 per cent and are unsure how they will gather capital to re-open.
Hoi An Market is blanketed in thick mud and strewn with debris
Authorities say water levels on the the Thu Bon River have exceeded even the 1964 measured record, reaching 3.45-3.50 metres in Hoi An.
With Hoi An’s economy heavily reliant on tourism and local commerce, the impact of this flood may be prolonged, especially as shopkeepers and households begin the long process of recovery.
