A boat made from a tractor in Chương Mỹ District to help locals navigate the floodwater. Photo cafef.vn

HÀ NỘI It was 9.30pm on September 10 when residents in Hà Nội’s sub-urban district of Chương Mỹ began to evacuate as the floodwaters from the Bùi River rose.

The local radio station kept calling on villagers to evacuate.

Bùi Ngọc Bình, head of Nam Hài Village said: "During these days, when the flood water rises, we are always on duty all night to help locals. Even in the middle of the night, we will respond promptly to calls in order to assist individuals with moving their possessions and evacuating."

During the days of flooding, Bình and his neighbours have converted a recently acquired tractor at his residence into a movable vehicle to navigate through the village.

The locals built a structure and placed a boat on top of it because the tractor's chassis is very high and it can operate in situations where the road is flooded.

It is now a useful mode of transportation in places like Chương Mỹ that experience flooding on a regular basis.

"When sitting on it, people can feel secure," Bình added.

He has used the makeshift boat to take Nam Phương Tiến Commune’s locals around the village.

A retired soldier in Quốc Oai District created a handmade boat using household wooden bars and metal containers.

On September 11, the inventor's daughter, Nguyễn Khánh, uploaded a boat testing video clip on the internet.

She said due to the impact of Typhoon Yagi, the village where she and her families live has been inundated. 30 cm of water climbed to 60–70 cm of water. People's routines were disturbed, making it challenging to go around.

"Due to the continuous rain, some places recorded waist high water. Most local people have stayed indoors and out their properties at higher places," she said.

A boat made from wooden bars and barrels was constructed to help during floods. The woman in the photo uses a broom to wade through the floodwater. Photo from Nguyễn Khánh's video

“My father is a retired engineer. He fixes a lot of home objects and is pretty skilled at it. There had been no indication of the water level dropping by September 11 afternoon. Given that the water level was still high, he devised a handmade boat from wooden bars and corrugated iron boxes found in the house.”

Numerous touching stories from people affected by flooding in Hà Nội have warmed our hearts on these days.

Another local in Nam Hải Village, Chương Mỹ District, lets her neighbours park their cars in her yard for free.

Since the floodwaters rose, hundreds of motorcycles have been parked at her house.

Nguyễn Thị Xuân said she started letting people leave their motorbikes at her house in 2008, when the floodwaters began to rise.

"Every year, people bring their motorcycles here to park when the water rises and floods the neighbourhood," she said.

"Even though the yard in front of my house was unpaved and the water level was halfway up the wheel a few years ago, a lot of people continued to park their bikes there. Now the yard has been raised and paved recently. There is no longer flood.

“The people who bring their motorbikes here to park are mainly from Nhân Lý and Nam Hải villages. Many people keep telling me to charge fees and take tickets, but I can’t do that.

“When people are in trouble, they really need help from everyone. I don’t have much money, so I can only help them a little by taking this action.” VNS