Local residents said that water from the upstream unexpectedly rushed down at 2am. They fled their houses just in time to escape the water. Within one hour, everything was inundated.

According to the local Hydro-meteorological Forecast Centre, the flash flood was caused by heavy rains in the upstream. Flash floods in the Luy River occur annually but this one is the largest since 1996.

The flash flood also submerged the National Highway 1A, the section crossing Luong Son town, resulted in traffic jams for 5-6 hours. Vehicles had to queue for several kilometers.

In the related news, around 120 households with over 700 people in Tuy Hoa city in the central province of Phu Yen have been evacuated to avoid flood tide and big waves.

Meanwhile, forecasters said that tonight, October 25, flood tide in the Saigon River in HCM City will reach the highest level – 1.45m - causing wide-spread flood in the city.

The 4.7m flood tide on October 9 submerged thousands of families and dozens of roads, causing gridlocks in 5-6 hours in many places.

According to a report released at the Asia-Pacific Forum on Climate Change last week, around 26 percent of HCM City’s population is currently affected by the sea rise and the rate may reach over 60 percent in 2050.