Vietnam's tourist favorite Hoi An goes knee-deep in water as river rises overnight

By about 10 p.m., water had climbed over nearly the entire stretch of Bach Dang Street, with the deepest spots reaching around 0.4 m. The overflow pushed into nearby streets including Hoang Van Thu, Le Loi and Chau Thuong Van, shutting down almost all nighttime business.

Bach Dang Street in Hoi An in central Vietnam is flooded on the night of Nov. 15, 2025. Photo by Cuong Art

Residents rushed to lift belongings, push motorbikes and e-bikes to higher ground, and brace for another round of flooding. Many cafés and restaurants closed early, though some foreign tourists lingered to watch the rain, and a few even waded through knee-deep water to explore the old town.

Locals say Bach Dang floods whenever heavy rain coincides with strong upstream runoff. Earlier this year, the same street saw water levels rise to 2.5 m during what authorities described as a historic flood.

"People here know how to live with floods, but no one gets complacent," said Nguyen Anh Cuong. "Many households stayed up to raise their goods, just like at the end of October."

From late October to early November, the ancient town endured repeated inundations that badly affected shops selling souvenirs, silk and clothing. Bach Dang Street finally dried completely on Nov. 8, only to be submerged again days later.

Foreign tourists watch floodwaters rise in Hoi An, Vietnam. Photo by Cuong Art

Meteorologists say Da Nang and surrounding areas have been hit by moderate to very heavy rain in the past 24 hours, with totals reaching 40–80 mm across the city and up to 140 mm in southern and mountainous districts. Through Nov. 18, rainfall could climb to 150–300 mm in midland and southern mountainous areas, with some locations surpassing 400 mm.

The intense rainfall also caused inflow to hydropower reservoirs to spike sharply, forcing several dams to conduct regulated discharges into downstream districts. By Sunday evening, water flowing into major reservoirs continued to rise, leading to localized flooding in low-lying parts of Nong Son and Thuong Duc.

Twenty straight days of rain have triggered a series of landslides across the region. On Nov. 13, a collapse in Put Hamlet, Hung Son Commune, left three people missing. Another landslide on Nov. 16 buried a section of National Highway 40B between Nam Tra My and Tra Linh; people nearby managed to escape in time, avoiding casualties.

Hoi An, recognized as a World Cultural Heritage site in 1999, has seen tourism, its main economic lifeline, repeatedly disrupted by the ongoing rains. Several streets, attractions and boat services on the Hoai River have been shut down, visitor numbers have dropped sharply, and shop owners are operating cautiously amid fears of sudden new floods.