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HANOI: Vietnam has recorded the highest flood levels on three rivers in the country's north in nearly 40 years, state media reported on Wednesday (Oct 8).
The high-water marks of the Bang, Thuong and Trung rivers surpassed levels not seen since 1986 from late Tuesday to Wednesday, with the latter river in Lang Son province, bordering China, forecast to peak at nearly 2m above the record, Vietnam state television said.
The level of the Bang river in Cao Bang province peaked at 11pm Tuesday, "exceeding the historic flood of 1986 and is slowly receding", according to a weather news bulletin.
In Bac Ninh province, flooding at one measuring point on the Thuong river "exceeded the historic flood of 1986 and continues to rise", the bulletin said.
At another point on the same river, the water level broke a 2008 record, and was forecast to peak on Wednesday night.
By Wednesday morning, Vietnam's weather bureau said the level of the Cau river, running across Thai Nguyen city, was also more than a metre higher than the previous record level - when Typhoon Yagi devastated the country in September last year.
Tens of thousands of people were left stuck at home or fleeing floodwaters that reached the tops of cars and rooftops in areas of the city, about 80km north of the capital Hanoi.
The record floods have submerged streets in several communities, with at least eight people killed this week, the government said.
The floods followed heavy rain from Typhoon Matmo, which weakened on Monday while approaching Vietnam but hit the north hard.
Matmo landed only a week after Typhoon Bualoi triggered widespread flooding, killing at least 56 people and causing economic losses estimated at more than US$710 million.
"I have never witnessed such a terrible flood since I was born 60 years ago," Nguyen Van Nguyen told AFP from his three-storey house in Thai Nguyen province.
"There has never been flooding here in my street but now my ground floor is all submerged."
The military said it used two helicopters to drop four tonnes of water, instant noodles, dry cake, milk and lifejackets to people in flooded parts of Lang Son province bordering China.
Human-driven climate change is turbocharging extreme weather events like typhoons, making them ever more deadly and destructive.
