Hoi An City, the major tourist draw of the central Vietnamese province of Quang Nam, has been engulfed in floodwaters for the third time in just a month, a frequency rarely seen before.

As of 5:00 pm on Tuesday, the water level on the Thu Bon River’s section crossing through the old quarter area of Hoi An City was recorded at 1.9 meters, edging the alarm level three and still rising, said Nguyen The Hung, deputy chairman of the Hoi An People’s Committee.

Three floods within a month, especially one at this time of the year, are rarely seen in the area, he added.

As witnessed at Hoi An City, floodwaters have drowned the waterfront of the Hoai River – a tributary of the Thu Bon River running through Hoi An City – as well as major streets of the city, namely Nguyen Phuc Chu, Nguyen Thai Hoc, and Tran Phu. 

Residents of the city can no longer commute on motorbikes and have to switch to boats. 

Several households in the residential area along the southern bank of the Hoai River are exposed to inundation depths of up to two meters. 

Low-lying spots down the small alleys near Nguyen Phuc Chu Street are suffering from inundation, forcing residents to move their belongings to higher places for the third time in a month. 

The city has never seen floods coming as frequently as this year, according to Nguyen Tan Sau, a resident of the Dong Hiep area in Hoi An.

“We have to evacuate three times just within this month,” Sau said. 

“We expected flooding to cease in December. Farmers in our neighborhood have planted seeds to prepare for a flower crop before the traditional Lunar New Year holiday, but none anticipated another flood to come."

Other locations in Quang Nam Province also witnessed heavy rains and severe inundation on Tuesday, namely Dai Loc District and Tam Ky City. 

Flooding obstructed traffic on major routes leading to remote districts such as Tay Giang and Dong Giang. 

In light of the complex developments of flooding, schools in the low-lying areas of Quang Nam ordered students to stay home on Tuesday. 

Also on Tuesday, Hoi An City’s Bureau of Education and Training directed all schools in the locale to close for Wednesday in a written notice. 

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