Heavy rain in Vietnam claims three lives

Continuous heavy rains between Sunday night and Monday morning across northern provinces, including Hà Giang, Lào Cai and Quảng Ninh, have resulted in at least three deaths and substantial property damage, Report informs via Vietnam News.

In the northern mountainous province of Hà Giang, a father and his three-year-old son, were swept away by floods.

In the districts of Hoàng Su Phì, Xín Mần and Vị Xuyên dozens of houses were flooded, many were hit by landslides, with some collapsing entirely.

Many hectares of rice fields were damaged by the landslips, while flooding also submerged dozens of fields of crops in Hà Giang City. Many livestock farms were hit and countless chickens and birds were killed in poultry holdings.

Over 130 vehicles were submerged in Hà Giang City. Initial estimates put the cost of the damage at nearly VNĐ19.5 billion ($769,000).

On Monday, nearly 1,000 officers and soldiers from Hà Giang Province’s Police Department drove motor and rubber boats to aid rescue operations in deeply-flooded areas of the city.

Lieutenant Colonel Phan Minh Học, deputy head of the Fire Prevention, Firefighting and Rescue Office, along with his team, dismantled a roof to successfully rescue four people trapped in a house in Hà Giang City due to rising water levels.

Due to the heavy rain, floodwaters in the Lô River section passing through Hà Giang City continued to rise by noon on Monday. Rising water levels in the Lô River submerged houses along the riverbanks by up to a meter.

Hundreds of households were on high alert to grab their belongings and move out if the Lô River floods the city.

Many roads from Hà Giang City to Đồng Văn and Mèo Vạc districts were cut off, leaving some tourists and local residents stranded in the Mèo Vạc District.

Authorities were assisting tourists and residents out of dangerous zones, advising people and vehicle owners to monitor and obey traffic controllers' instructions when travelling on landslide-prone roads.