On the morning of July 17, fast-moving water covered National Highway 32 in the Ban Chit area of Muong Than Commune, Lai Chau Province, making the road impassable. Several households were surrounded by floodwater and had to be helped by authorities to move people and belongings to safety.
Tran Linh Chi, a resident of Doi 9 in Muong Than Commune, said she had never seen flooding this severe. The water reached more than a meter in places and carrying away soil, rocks, trees and residents' property.
National Highway 32 links Hanoi with Phu Tho, Lao Cai and Lai Chau. The stretch through Muong Than runs between a mountain range rising more than 1,000 m on one side and a valley of rice fields on the other. Sustained heavy rain has sent water pouring off the peaks into the valley.
Floodwater pours into Muong Than Commune. Video courtesy of Linh Chi
Lai Chau provincial police said the rain triggered flash floods and landslides at multiple points along National Highway 32 through Pac Ta and Muong Than communes, paralyzing traffic.
