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Over the past two days many provinces in the central region have been severely affected by the storm. After making landfall over Ha Tinh and Nghe An provinces on Monday the storm weakened into a tropical depression but still dumped heavy rains across the north-central region and Red River Delta.
British tourist Becca Jayne and her boyfriend arrived in Da Nang on Sept. 27 and said the storm started off slowly, but rain, winds and waves intensified the next morning.
Their hotel advised guests to stay put and prepare safety items.
But the pair left Da Nang as originally planned and took a noon train to Dong Hoi on Sept. 28. The trip lasted nearly seven hours after being delayed by two hours due to the storm.
Becca said: "The trip was quite stressful—heavy rain flooded many roads. When we arrived at the hotel, all entrances were blocked with large water tanks for safety." The hotel staff carried their luggage and gave them a room in a safer location.
Because of strong winds and rain, they stayed in their room overnight. The next morning, after the storm had passed, they went out for coffee to assess the situation.
She was struck by how people were wading through floodwaters, she said.
"I feel lucky to be safe, but I worry about those who suffered damage, especially people whose homes aren't sturdy."
After arriving in Da Nang at the end of September, Philippine tourist Ecila Santos also had to cancel most of his plans because of the storm.
His trip to Ba Na Hills was a washout, with views obscured, and he scrapped a visit to Marble Mountains due to heavy rain and slippery, dangerous paths.
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Ecila Santos visits Marble Mountains amid rain in Da Nang. Photo courtesy of Ecila Santos |
Bad weather also forced him to drop plans to watch the Dragon Bridge fire show or make lanterns in Hoi An.
On the last day he went shopping near his hotel instead.
Calling the trip a failure but vowing to return soon, he said: "All my plans fell through, but what can I do? Vietnamese people are great—they helped me despite the language barrier."
Australian tourist Georgia Jayne stayed in her hotel all day on Sept. 28.
She witnessed "strong winds and big waves" and roofs getting blown away.
Many northern provinces were also badly affected by the storm.
Canadian traveler Linda Crawley had her overnight Ha Long Bay cruise canceled, her second failed attempt.
She later canceled a planned trip to Laos due to the rain.
