More than 5,000 students in two central Vietnamese provinces--Thua Thien Hue, Quang Tri--have been told to be away from school due to inclement weather.

In Thua Thien Hue, the provincial education authority allowed 2,960 students to miss school due to heavy downpours recently, Nguyen Tan, head of the provincial Department of Education and Training, said on Friday morning.

Torrential rains had lashed many parts in the province from Wednesday night till Friday morning, with rainfall measuring over 587mm in some locations, and left multiple roads in Phong Dien District flooded.

By Friday morning, 13 schools in Phong Dien had announced school closures.

Many schools in Phu Vang District made the same move on Friday at noon, the local official said.

Dang Van Hoa, office chief of the provincial steering committee for natural disaster prevention and control, said heavy rain is expected to hit the province until October 20, with rainfall measuring between 200mm and 400mm, or even more than 700mm in some places.

In Quang Tri, rains inundated several schools and left 2,063 kindergarteners, elementary and middle school students out of school in Hai Lang District, said Le Van Thanh, head of the education and training sup-department in the district.

Around 500 students of the Hai Hoa Elementary and Middle School in Hai Lang were told to be away from school starting from Thursday afternoon, according to the school’s principal Truong Van Mau.

The school’s teachers on Thursday afternoon moved chairs, tables and learning tools to higher places to avoid flooding while some others were asked to be on guard at school to respond to issues related to the bad weather.

Tables and chairs are relocated to avoid flooding in Quang Tri Province, central Vietnam, October 12, 2023. Photo: Quang Ha / Tuoi Tre

Some central provinces from Ha Tinh to Quang Ngai experienced moderate to heavy rains from Thursday evening to Friday morning, according to the national weather center.

The Vietnam Meteorological and Hydrological Administration, under the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment, forecast that cold spells and a tropical convergence zone could bring heavy downpours to central Vietnam until October 20.

Authorities and local people in the region should stay prepared for possible flooding, flash flood, landslides, which may remain complicated after this Sunday, said the meteorological and hydrological administration.

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