People living outside the left bank of the Lam River are moving their buffaloes, cows, and belongings onto the dike to escape the flood.
Heavy rains and floodwaters from upstream have caused flooding in many areas outside the dike in Hung Loi commune (Hung Nguyen district). On September 23rd, many households moved their belongings and livestock onto the dike for shelter.
Worried about the rising river water, Mr. Tran Dinh Hoang, from Hamlet 2, Hung Loi Commune, evacuated 6 buffaloes and calves to the dike; 4 pigs and over 100 laying ducks in the coop were also on the verge of being submerged.
“This hut was built solely for evacuating cattle. If the water continues to rise, we’ll mobilize the animals to lay baskets for the ducks to stand in temporarily, to prevent them from being submerged for too long and losing their ability to lay eggs; as for the pigs, we’ll leave them in the boats and confine them inside the hut.”
While leading his buffaloes and cows to a gathering point near the village to tie them up, Mr. Dao Van Vy (Hamlet 6) said: "My family has four buffaloes and two calves. The water is rising, so we have to bring the buffaloes up to the dike to raise them higher. Currently, we've only temporarily tied them up, put straw on them for them to eat, and are watching over them. But if it continues to rain and the water rises even higher, we'll have to build a shelter to protect the livestock, especially the little calves."
Living outside the dike and not raising cattle, Mr. Tran Dinh Linh (Hamlet 2) still had to move his car and motorbike onto the dike since last night, September 22nd, to avoid flooding. "It's happened many years ago, so I'm used to it. Since last night, the water has risen high and receded slowly," Mr. Linh shared.
Having left for work in Vinh at 4 am when the water was still shallow, Ms. Nguyen Thi Tuyet, also from Hamlet 2, found herself unable to drive her motorbike into her house this afternoon. "My house has a raised foundation, so the water hasn't gotten in yet, and it's only about 20 meters from the dike, but I don't dare drive in for fear of my motorbike breaking down. But everyone else leaves their motorbikes on the dike, and there are commune and hamlet officials on duty, so I feel safer."
According to Ms. Le Thi Sa, an agricultural officer in the commune, Hung Loi has three hamlets outside the dike: Hamlet 1, Hamlet 2, and Hamlet 5, with nearly 600 households and over 1,300 inhabitants. This is also a key livestock farming area with nearly 150 buffaloes and cows. As a vulnerable area frequently affected by flooding and isolation, the people here are very experienced in flood and storm prevention and property protection.
From the evening of September 22nd, as the water level rose, many households moved their belongings and livestock to the dike for safety. The commune also deployed personnel to assist single-person households and those with few members in moving their belongings to the dike, while also standing guard to protect people's property.
