Ecohome 1 apartment complex in Dong Ngac Ward, Hanoi, consists of four buildings housing nearly 1,000 households. It was heavily flooded following Typhoon No. 10, with Ms. Bui Mai’s building among the most affected due to its low elevation.

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Ecohome apartment complex was submerged following Typhoon No. 10.

Ms. Mai shared with VietNamNet that the flooding began on the evening of September 29 and began to recede by the afternoon of October 1. Water completely covered the first-floor lobby and entered the elevators. The deepest areas reached 1 meter, while shallower zones were around 60–70 centimeters.

“At the school gate area, it was worst  -  up to 1.4 meters,” Ms. Mai noted.

From noon on September 30, the entire complex lost power and water, causing great difficulties for residents. However, Ms. Mai said that after experiencing similar flooding in August 2025, residents were better prepared with food supplies and essential items, making life during these two days of inundation somewhat more manageable.

“We had advised all residents to stock up on food and clean water, prepare mini gas stoves, alcohol burners, flashlights, candles... to proactively handle days without electricity or water,” she explained.

“Still, for families with elderly people or young children, life was very hard. They couldn’t evacuate, so they had to eat in the dark and walk up dozens of flights of stairs if they needed to go out.”

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Residents built sandbag barriers to prevent water from entering the lobby.

What warmed Ms. Mai’s heart the most  -  both in the previous flood and this one  -  was the sense of solidarity and support among the building’s residents.

As soon as Typhoon No. 10 was forecasted, residents worked together to place sandbags around the lobby to protect the elevators. When the water began to enter, they took turns bailing it out to preserve shared spaces.

“One moment I’ll never forget was seeing dozens of residents carrying motorbikes one by one from the first-floor lobby to the mezzanine to save them from flooding. That image truly moved me,” Ms. Mai recalled.

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Residents joined forces to restore the building after the flood.
Everyone from the elderly to the young joined the cleanup effort.
Photos supplied by residents

On the afternoon of October 1, as the water started to recede, residents rallied together to clean and restore the building’s shared spaces.

“For seven straight hours, from 1 p.m. to 8 p.m., hundreds of residents took turns scrubbing and sweeping. Those who were at home cleaned first, those who worked joined in later. From the elderly to children, everyone pitched in.

Whoever had a broom brought a broom, whoever had a bucket brought a bucket. Some bailed water from the elevator shafts, others cleaned around the lobby. We followed the flow of the water, clearing out the mud as it retreated, then rinsed the floors with hoses,” she said.

That evening, Ms. Mai said, the building buzzed with activity. The technical team hurried to restore power and repair the elevators, while residents cleaned every corner of the common areas.

“Not until late at night on October 1 did I finally get to go home to shower, eat, and rest. Seeing everyone so united for the sake of the community made me feel warm inside. We were tired, but happy,” she smiled.

By the morning of October 2, life had gradually returned to normal at Ecohome. Still, after this flood, Ms. Mai is more convinced than ever of the urgent need for a better drainage system to prevent the area from flooding every time it rains heavily.

Thanh Minh