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She said water from the Rong River had reached the yard of her house in Phuong Ba Hamlet, Dan Tien Commune, the night before.

Nga and her husband raised their furniture nearly a meter before going to bed. “I did not expect the water to reach my waist in just a few hours,” the 49-year-old woman said.

So they ran to a neighbor’s house with a taller house and a flat roof before the flood surrounded both homes and swept away their belongings. The houses, located along the river, was quickly cut off by the flood.

From 2 a.m. to 9 a.m., the family huddled under a thin tarp in heavy rain. The water had submerged the first floor and rose to within 30 cm of them. Nga called for help but rescuers could not reach them.

Their phones were wet and the batteries were running low as the water kept rising. “I was afraid that even the spot we were sitting on would be submerged,” Nga said over a weak phone signal.

Heavy rain hit Thai Nguyen from Monday night due to Typhoon Matmo. Some areas in the province recorded rainfall of up to 500 mm between 7 p.m. on Monday and 7 a.m. on Tuesday. Images of submerged houses and streets were shared on social media.

Calls for help appeared online as stranded families climbed onto attics and rooftops amid power outages and weak phone signals.

A few hundred meters away, Thu, 36, stayed on the second floor of a relative’s house with her family. Her single-story home was completely submerged.

Her family had raised their furniture the night before to prepare for the flood. But by 2 a.m. water poured in and within minutes reached window level.

Thu led her parents and two children to safety. Two young men from the village helped carry the children through the strong current.

Thu said: “I am 1.68 m tall and the water reached all the way up to my neck. We had to move along the walls so the waters would not sweep us away.”

Nine people, including her family, uncle and aunt and two neighbors, took refuge on the second floor for nearly 10 hours without food.

Electricity was cut, and phone signals were weak. Thu used her phone sparingly to save battery in case of an emergency.

White Thai Nguyen people run floods

Nguyen Van Tuyen, 32, spent a sleepless night fleeing the flood in his house in the workers’ compound at La Hien cement factory.

The water nearly submerged the first floor by 11 a.m. “We had raised our furniture during storm Bualoi and so now we only need to save ourselves,” he said. His family of six waited for rescue on the upper floor.

More than 30 people, including over a dozen children, were marooned in the compound by. “We called for help but the strong current prevented rescue teams from reaching us,” Tuyen said.

On Tuesday morning the Thai Nguyen Provincial People’s Committee ordered local authorities to evacuate residents from dangerous areas and deliver food, other supplies and medical support to isolated regions.

The police mobilized hundreds of officers and specialized vehicles to move people and property to safety.

Fire and rescue teams assist residents in Vo Tranh Commune, Thai Nguyen Province, Oct. 7, 2025. Photo courtesy of Thai Nguyen Police

Dang Thao Nhi, 25, of Gia Sang Ward said her family had moved their furniture to the second floor the night before but floodwater still poured in and swept everything away.

Residents in single-story rental homes nearby only managed to escape after the water had risen to two-thirds of the way to the roof and drowned all their belongings.

At 8 a.m. they guided each other through neck-deep water to safety. “All our belongings are gone. We have nothing left to cook with,” she said.

By late morning the floodwaters had risen to over two meters and completely isolated Neighborhood 1, where Nhi lives.

Tuyen said the water level had receded by some 40 cm by 1 p.m. but was still above head height. His adult family members ate instant noodles while his two children drank milk. He said the surrounding area was covered in muddy waters and floating debris.

People in nearby homes were stranded on roofs and attics without food and with phones running out of battery. “I just hope the water recedes by afternoon because people may not be able to survive another night.”