Bangkok: Residents of Hoi An, an ancient town in Vietnam's UNESCO World Heritage Site, began cleaning up on Saturday after water levels receded following days of heavy rain that caused severe flooding and widespread damage across central Vietnam.
According to Thai News Agency, the flooding has wreaked havoc on streets in Hoi An, decorated with lanterns and centuries-old wooden houses, with residents saying they have never experienced flooding of this magnitude before.
As the water receded, shopkeepers and locals scrambled to clear the thick mud from their storefronts, repair furniture and restore power, hoping to reopen to tourists soon.
Vietnam's disaster management agency said flash floods and landslides have killed at least 29 people in the central region, with five others missing. More than 22,000 homes remain submerged and nearly 100,000 residents remain without power.
Vietnam often experiences severe storms and flooding during the monsoon season from June to October, but no official monetary damage estimates have been released, with small shopkeepers reporting losses worth hundreds of millions of dong.
Vietnamese authorities have warned that continued heavy rain is expected in central Vietnam, with some areas forecast to receive more than 700 millimeters of rain, which could lead to rising river levels and further flooding.