Tourists shocked at devastated Hoi An following storm

Many tourists at Hoi An in the central province of Quang Nam were shocked by the devastating scenes on the streets after Typhoon Noru ravaged the area.

Many tourists at Hoi An in the central province of Quang Nam were shocked by the devastating scenes on the streets after Typhoon Noru ravaged the area.

Noru made landfall in the central and central highlands regions of Vietnam on Tuesday night with the eye lying in Thua Thien-Hue, Da Nang, Quang Nam and Quang Ngai provinces.

Hoi An was among the hardest-hit areas by the typhoon.

On Wednesday morning, many trees were uprooted and houses unroofed. The water level on the Thu Bon River rose up quickly, seriously submerging surrounding streets and houses.

A big tree fell at the junction of Nguyen Thai Hoc and Bach Dang.

Some tourists walked the streets to see the damage.

Two foreign visitors were shocked to see how the city had been devastated after a night.

Le Thanh Vu, a tourist from Dong Nai Province said that his family was having a week-long holiday in Hoi An.

"We were enjoying our third day here when the storm arrived," Vu said. We were advised to stay indoors yesterday evening. I was sad to see the beautiful streets badly damaged with fallen trees and unroofed houses. Many shops and restaurants have had to suspend operation and we may have to leave sooner than scheduled. Luckily everyone is still safe.”

A local resident on Tran Phu Street said that Noru was the most powerful storm that has hit Hoi An for 20 years. "We see flooding every year but we've never seen so many fallen trees after a storm like this," he said.

Local authorities and local people have worked on clearing the streets since Wednesday morning.

Typhoon Noru has weakened into a depression. Heavy rains are forecasted to continue in the central region, and warnings of flash floods and landslides have been issued for riverside and mountainous areas.