At Huu Nghi Bridge in Hoa Binh Ward, Phu Tho Province, receding water has revealed sand and gravel banks stretching hundreds of metres from the riverbanks, leaving only about half of the channel still flowing.

“The Da River is usually known for its strong currents, especially during the rainy season or when the Hoa Binh hydropower plant releases water. Recently it has been so shallow that people can walk to the middle of the river,” said local resident Thanh Dan.

The river typically runs low toward the end of the dry season, when upstream hydropower plants store water and limit discharge. This year, however, the extensive sand and gravel banks exposed along the riverbed have created an unusually striking landscape, he added.

The very low water level has turned parts of the riverbed into wide, beach-like sandbanks, attracting residents who come to walk, take photographs and enjoy the rare view.

Pham Xuan Quynh, who operates a sand yard near Huu Nghi Bridge, said water levels were about 25-30 metres lower than in September-October 2025, when the Hoa Binh Hydropower Plant released floodwaters.

Ngo Van Thong, head of a riverside fishing community, said the end of the dry season reduces inflows from upstream, while reservoirs mainly generate electricity without releasing water through spillways, lowering downstream levels and exposing sandbanks.

Data from Vietnam Electricity at 5 am on March 16 showed the Hoa Binh reservoir at 114.65 metres, below its normal level of 117 metres. Inflow was recorded at 930 cubic metres per second, while discharge through the plant was 363 cubic metres per second.

Meanwhile, data from Inland Waterway Maintenance Company 9 showed water levels downstream of the Hoa Binh Hydropower Plant fluctuating between 4.6 and 4.8 metres.