Floodwaters swept away a bridge to Nhôn Mai Village in Nghệ An Province late yesterday afternoon, isolating 200 households. VNA/VNS Photos

NGHỆ AN — Prolonged torrential rain on the evening of July 22 sent the Nậm Mộ River surging, submerging the centre of Mường Xén Commune in Nghệ An Province under nearly two metres of water. The sudden floods, intensified by discharge from upstream hydropower plants, created powerful currents that swept through the area.

The floodwaters surged so quickly that residents were caught off guard, forcing them to urgently evacuate and move belongings in the middle of the night. Many families were unable to save their possessions.

A night without sleep

Lô Đình Thụ, Chairman of Mường Xén Commune People’s Committee, said that from the afternoon of July 22, large volumes of water from the upper Nậm Mộ River poured into the commune, flooding many central areas. By around 9pm, water had risen so quickly that the river channel could not drain, leaving many points under 1–1.5 metres of water. The hardest-hit areas were residential clusters 1, 4 and 5. Around 11pm, heavy rain and rising water levels left the entire commune centre submerged.

By midnight, heavy rain continued and the Nậm Mộ River showed no sign of receding, with water levels in the centre of Mường Xén Commune continuing to rise. Residents stayed up all night moving their belongings to safety.

Many households were inundated, with strong currents sweeping away furniture, refrigerators, gas stoves, computers, and other valuables.

According to local authorities, late on July 22, the commune’s disaster response unit urgently deployed forces in coordination with local militias and mass organisations to help evacuate people and move belongings to higher ground. Operations were extremely difficult due to darkness, deep flooding, strong currents, and power outages.

As floodwaters rose rapidly, National Highway 7 through Mường Xén was submerged in two sections, more than 100 metres long, with water depths of nearly one metre. The highway through Tương Dương Commune was also flooded in several places.

In Tam Quang Commune, the section passing through Nhùng Village was flooded by the Lam River overflow, with depths of 50–80cm. Several low-lying sections along Highway 7 through Mường Xén, Tam Quang, and Tương Dương communes were reported submerged later in the night.

Local authorities set up checkpoints and assigned personnel to guard flooded areas and warn residents, ensuring safety.

At nearly 1am on July 23, the hanging bridge across the Nậm Mộ River in Tương Dương Commune, connecting Highway 7 to the Vạn Temple–Cửa Rào heritage site, collapsed after floodwaters swept away its pillars.

Hundreds of households isolated

The circulation of Typhoon Wipha brought heavy rain that caused localised flooding across mountainous communes in western Nghệ An on July 22, isolating many villages as inter-village roads were cut off by torrents of fast-flowing water.

In Yên Hòa Commune, continuous heavy rain from the night of July 21 to July 22 severely affected livelihoods and infrastructure. By the evening of July 22, more than 210 households in Xốp Cốc, Tạt, Cành Khỉn, and Xốp Khấu villages were completely isolated after rising streams submerged spillways and crossings. The Xốp Cốc spillway alone was submerged more than one metre deep, blocking access to two villages.

Đậu Đức Truyền, Chairman of Yên Hòa Commune People’s Committee, said local authorities had dispatched working groups to each village, especially low-lying areas near streams, to organise evacuations and guard spillways to prevent people from entering dangerous areas.

In Mỹ Lý Commune, seven villages along the Nậm Nơn River were flooded from 5pm on July 22, with nearly 20 stilt houses inundated almost to their roofs.

Lương Văn Bảy, Chairman of Mỹ Lý Commune People’s Committee, said heavy rain and swift currents, along with landslides, made it extremely difficult for authorities to reach flooded villages. Xốp Tụ and Hòa Lý villages, were hardest hit. Residents in these villages have moved belongings to higher ground.

In Quế Phong Commune, the 60-metre-long Quạnh hanging bridge connecting Hiền and Quạnh villages was swept away on the afternoon of July 22. Four spillways were submerged, and three sections of National Highway 48D were flooded.

Local authorities deployed security forces to guard and close affected sections. Nine households in Pún and Cu villages facing landslide risks have been relocated. At the Châu Kim–Nậm Giải junction, floodwaters surged across the road with powerful currents. Local authorities have put up barriers to ban traffic.

In Tri Lễ Commune, rising rivers continued to increase, flooding homes and damaging roads. The route from Tri Lễ to Tương Dương has several cracks with a high risk of collapse, while National Highway 16 through Pà Khốm Village has also shown signs of subsidence.

Thirty households in Tân Thái Village and 10 in Nậm Nhóng Village were completely isolated by landslides.

In Quỳ Châu District, by 11.30pm on July 22, heavy rain and rapid inflows from upstream caused the Hiếu River to rise quickly, flooding sections of National Highway 48 near Bù Bài slope between Quỳ Châu and Châu Tiến communes. Local authorities set up barriers and deployed forces to stop traffic and assist stranded vehicles.

In Nga My Commune, by the morning of July 23, apart from some landslides, three villages, Na Kho, Na Ngân, and Xốp Kho, with hundreds of households remained isolated deep in the Pù Huống mountains as the Nậm Ngân stream overflowed and submerged the only access road.

Authorities across flood-hit communes said they are maintaining on-site disaster response forces in coordination with border guards, police, militias, and local organisations to assist residents, conduct evacuations, guard flooded roads and spillways, and prevent accidents. Forces and resources are also on standby to restore roads and infrastructure as soon as conditions permit. VNS