'Floating hamlets' along the Red River devastated when water recedes, people strain to clean up mud

September 19, 2024 | 14:48

TPO – In recent days, people in the "floating village" along the Red River ( Hanoi ) have returned to clean up their houses after the flood waters receded.

The floating village along the Red River was devastated when the water receded, people strained to clean up the mud photo 1

After storm No. 3 hit Hanoi, people here did not have time to repair their houses but had to "flee the flood" at night when the Red River water level suddenly rose. After days of evacuation, when returning, many people were heartbroken to see the scene of devastation in the very place where they had spent nearly half of their lives.

The floating village along the Red River was devastated when the water receded, people strained to clean up the mud photo 2

The landscape was desolate, trees were downed on both sides of the road, many houses had their roofs blown off, walls collapsed or even the “houses” collapsed. Sheets of corrugated iron, tree branches, rubbish and belongings were hidden in the mud, strewn all over the path.

The floating village along the Red River was devastated when the water receded, people strained to clean up the mud photo 3

Following the small, deep road leading down from Long Bien bridge, the floating village is hidden in dense bushes covered with mud.

The floating village along the Red River was devastated when the water receded, people strained to clean up the mud photo 4

The floating village along the Red River was devastated when the water receded, people strained to clean up the mud photo 5

The floating village along the Red River was devastated when the water receded, people strained to clean up the mud photo 6

“The buoy village” is located in the middle of the beach in Ngoc Thuy ward, Long Bien district. This is the “residence” of many people from Hai Phong, Nam Dinh , Thanh Hoa, Hung Yen, Bac Giang, Lang Son… The village began to appear about 30 years ago when Mr. Nguyen Dang Duoc came here and started to set up boats to make a living. Gradually, many people also knew about it and came here to build floating houses. Although it became a village, this place still has no electricity or water and must be completely self-sufficient.

The floating village along the Red River was devastated when the water receded, people strained to clean up the mud photo 7

Each family in the neighborhood has a different story and situation, but they all have difficult circumstances and have to leave their hometown to make a living.

The floating village along the Red River was devastated when the water receded, people strained to clean up the mud photo 8

The floating village along the Red River was devastated when the water receded, people strained to clean up the mud photo 9

The floating village along the Red River was devastated when the water receded, people strained to clean up the mud photo 10

The floating village along the Red River was devastated when the water receded, people strained to clean up the mud photo 11

After storm number 3 passed, the lives of people here became even more deadlocked when many families' accumulated assets were swept away by floodwaters.

The floating village along the Red River was devastated when the water receded, people strained to clean up the mud photo 12

After days of evacuation to avoid the flood, people returned to clean up the rubble around the neighborhood.

The floating village along the Red River was devastated when the water receded, people strained to clean up the mud photo 13

Ms. Nguyen Thi Hanh (37 years old) has been attached to the floating village for more than 20 years. She is currently living with her 5-year-old daughter in this small village. However, the recent storm and flood has washed away and damaged everything that the mother and daughter have, even the temporary tent that they built to have a place to go in and out has completely collapsed.

The floating village along the Red River was devastated when the water receded, people strained to clean up the mud photo 14

“When we and the neighbors returned, we were shocked by the scene before our eyes. The scene of devastation was something I had never seen in more than 20 years of living here. My house had collapsed, and all my belongings were gone. The mud inside the house was a meter thick, and after 5 days of cleaning, it still wasn’t completely clean. The well was broken, so I had to ask my neighbors for water to clean up,” Ms. Hanh sadly shared.

The floating village along the Red River was devastated when the water receded, people strained to clean up the mud photo 15

Ms. Hanh said that in the neighborhood, almost every house has a hand-pumped well. In recent years, some houses with a little more water have used a machine to pump water, which is less tiring.

The floating village along the Red River was devastated when the water receded, people strained to clean up the mud photo 16

The floating village has no electricity supply so most of the people here use solar power. A few days before the storm, the careful households put away all the solar panels and now they have come back to reinstall them.

The floating village along the Red River was devastated when the water receded, people strained to clean up the mud photo 17

Before the storm occurred, the People's Committee of Ngoc Thuy ward also propagated and informed people to anchor buoys securely and quickly go ashore to avoid the storm.

The floating village along the Red River was devastated when the water receded, people strained to clean up the mud photo 18

Mr. Son (from Nam Dinh) said he has been here for 20 years but has never seen the water rise as high as this time.

The floating village along the Red River was devastated when the water receded, people strained to clean up the mud photo 19

The floating village along the Red River was devastated when the water receded, people strained to clean up the mud photo 20

Recalling the night the floodwaters rose, Mr. Son said: “That night the water rose so fast that I told my family to move to a safe area first, but we didn’t have time to run away. Now that we’ve returned, we’ve discovered that all our belongings have been damaged by the water. The water tank that was tied to a tree has drifted away somewhere and I’ve just gone to get it back. The motorbike hasn’t been moved yet so it’s been submerged in the water for the past few days.”

The floating village along the Red River was devastated when the water receded, people strained to clean up the mud photo 21

Repairing houses with blown-off roofs costs several million, and rebuilding collapsed houses costs 50-60 million, sometimes even hundreds of millions, but people here only worry about making ends meet so they don't know how to make ends meet.