A yellow apricot blossom farm in Bình Lợi Commune in HCM City has been submerged for days following heavy rains combined with high tides. — VNA/VNS Photo

HCM CITY — Heavy rains and high tides caused by Typhoon Fengshen in recent days have flooded 900 hectares of farms in Bình Lợi Commune in HCM City, causing local farmers to fear they could lose the yellow apricot blossoms they are growing for Tết (Lunar New Year) next February.

Nearly three hectares of apricot trees owned by farmer Lâm Hồng Thuyết have been submerged for over a week.

He said the water has not dropped despite pumping it non-stop since October 23.

“Normally, the tides rise and fall quickly, and the garden is safe, but this year the high tides and heavy rains flooded our farms, and there’s nothing we can do.”

Nguyễn Văn Thiêm’s garden has been under 30cm of water, and he potentially faces huge losses.

“When apricot roots stay underwater too long, they rot and weaken, making it hard for the trees to bloom in time for Tết,” he explained.

Local officials said if the situation continues, many of the trees could bloom too early, leading to losses of up to 80 percent.

Huỳnh Công Thành, head of Hamlet 3, said the commune has four irrigation culverts, but only one is still functioning, while the rest are damaged and unrepaired for a long time.

“If all four had been operated when the tides rose, the flooding wouldn’t have been this severe.”

According to the Bình Lợi Farmers Association, the flooding has damaged not only yellow apricot blossoms but also lemongrass, galangal, lemon trees, ornamental fish, and other crops.

Some 900 hectares are thought to be affected, including more than 500ha of yellow apricot blossoms.

Farmer Lê Hữu Thiện urged local authorities to deploy high-capacity electric pumps and coordinate water drainage efforts across households.

“This is beyond what residents can handle on their own; we need help from authorities."

The commune Farmers Association has petitioned the Bình Lợi People’s Committee and the HCM City Department of Agriculture and Rural Development to find immediate drainage solutions and assist farmers with saving their crops, protecting the yellow apricot blossoms for Tết and securing their livelihoods.

Typhoon Fengshen is heavily flooding many localities in Việt Nam, especially central provinces such as Quảng Ngãi, Đà Nẵng and Hà Tĩnh. — VNS