Entire neighborhoods were submerged, with water invading homes, schools, markets, and major roads.

Tran Thi Loan and her husband, longtime residents of Cay Gao street, waded through knee-deep water to buy essential supplies. She said they had learned to mentally prepare each time heavy rain lingered. Just three days earlier, their home flooded with over one meter of water. They had raised all their furniture in time, only to face another flash flood last night that caught them off guard.

“We stayed up all night to watch the water levels. We're exhausted,” she said, adding that household appliances like their washing machine and furniture were damp or damaged.

Floodwaters covered major roads such as Võ Nguyên Giáp and 23 Tháng 10, leaving them impassable. Businesses were shuttered, and shop owners scrambled to lift their goods above water. In the rain, residents struggled to cross submerged streets.

As water kept rising, many couldn’t react in time. Some households saw their belongings swept away in the current. Hao, 34, from Phu Vinh neighborhood, said she and her husband were awake all night, monitoring the situation.

“I just hope the rain stops soon so we can clean up and get our lives back together,” she said.

In Phu Trung neighborhood, water reached half a meter inside the home of Tran Thanh Tuan. He evacuated his entire family - including four children - using a small boat.

“Normally floods don’t rise this quickly. Last night the water was much higher than a few days ago,” he said.

Sitting on a chair in her flooded workshop, Dinh Thi Ngoc Tuyet, 32, looked worn out. She rents space on 23 Tháng 10 street to run an auto detailing business, but floodwaters rushed into her shop, soaking machines and supplies.

“My husband and I didn’t sleep last night. We had to stay awake and keep watch,” she said.

Residents could be seen pushing motorbikes and bicycles through flooded alleys to higher ground near 23 Tháng 10 street.

The flooding also swept in piles of garbage, which littered the roads.

Nguyen Dình Anh Minh, chairman of Tay Nha Trang Ward People's Committee, said 25 out of 49 neighborhood zones were submerged. Some areas were under as much as 2 meters of water, including Vo Cang, Vo Canh, Vo Dong, Phu Trung 1, Phu Trung 2, and Phu Binh.

About 1,200 personnel, along with boats, jet skis, and inflatable rafts, were deployed to rescue residents and deliver emergency supplies around the clock.

On the night of November 18, rescue teams successfully evacuated more than 150 people trapped in their homes. Since November 17, authorities in Tay Nha Trang have relocated over 300 households - nearly 600 residents - to safety.

According to the Khanh Hoa Provincial People's Committee, from November 16 to now, floods and landslides have killed 10 people, left two missing, and injured 20 others. Nearly 9,000 homes in 14 wards and communes have been flooded. More than 7,000 hectares of rice and crops were damaged. At least 160 livestock and 11,000 poultry were lost. Many roads were also washed away or eroded.

Initial damage is estimated at approximately 15.2 million USD.

Xuan Ngoc