Continuous downpours over the past few days have submerged Vinh City in the north-central Vietnamese province of Nghe An, with military and police officers now mobilized to ensure safety for local residents.

Torrential rains began lashing Vinh on Tuesday and showed no signs of subsiding as of Wednesday evening.

Most of the major streets leading to the city center, namely Nguyen Thi Minh Khai, Nguyen Van Cu, Quang Trung, and Phan Boi Chau, were partially submerged as a result.

On some routes, flooding was measured at half a meter deep.

Many commuters experienced difficulty traveling on the inundated roads, especially as high waters flooded motorbike engines.

Those who stayed indoors were also affected by water creeping into their homes.

Some local schools closed on Tuesday morning due to the extreme weather and students who had arrived at school before the closure was announced were brought home on military vehicles the same day.

Military and police officers were mobilized to prevent residents from entering dangerous areas as well as to evacuate people to safe zones.

The city’s power supply was cut on Wednesday evening to prevent life-threatening accidents.

“I have lived here for 15 years and have not witnessed such serious flooding,” said Nguyen Quoc Thang, head of Vinh City’s urban management unit.

One of the city’s three major pumps, which were designed to alleviate flooding, was not operational after rainwater damaged its engine, Thang stated.

The other two pumps have been working around the clock but could not lower the water level quickly enough due to continuous rainfall, he elaborated.

According to the National Center for Hydro-Meteorological Forecasting, total rainfall in Vinh on Tuesday and Wednesday was measured at 350 millimeters.

Due to a cold spell, the downpour is forecast to continue in north-central localities, including Vinh City, on Thursday and may linger until Friday, the center added.

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