Two days of heavy upstream rain forced the Song Quao Reservoir to release water, triggering intense flooding from the afternoon of December 4 and submerging residential areas in both Ham Thang Ward and nearby Phu Long Township.
Many low-lying communities along the Phu Hai and Phu Long rivers posted distress calls on social media as waters continued to rise.
Alongside emergency forces conducting urgent evacuations, volunteer rescue groups from several southern provinces also arrived to support stranded residents.
By about 10 pm, water levels in the Phu Long, Kim Ngoc, Ben Loi and Hoa Thang areas had continued to climb, with many homes inundated by one to two metres of water and some nearly reaching roof height.
Huynh Huu Phuc, 67, from Ham Thang Ward, was rescued with his family at about 11 pm by a four-member volunteer team from Vinh Long Province travelling with a motorboat.
The team had departed Vinh Long at 2 am and reached the flood-hit area around 8 pm, rescuing five people.
Team leader Tran Huynh Hoai Phong said he received dozens of calls for help, particularly from households along the Phu Long River. As it was the team’s first time in the area, they relied on local residents to navigate flooded neighbourhoods, including reaching a family stranded in Kim Ngoc.
By the morning of December 5, water levels in Ham Thang Ward remained high, with torrents sweeping across National Highway 1 and riverside neighbourhoods.
According to Lam Dong authorities, two days of serious flooding left one person dead, sank 24 fishing boats and swept away 32 others that have since been recovered. More than 3,300 hectares of crops were inundated and over 4,000 livestock and poultry died.
In Ham Thang Ward alone, around 7,000 households were affected, including some 2,800 homes flooded under more than one metre of water.
