The Cau River has overflowed, flooding residential areas on both sides in Tam Giang Commune.
By Thursday afternoon, the water level reached 29.9 meters, surpassing the historical flood level by 1.09 meters. As the floodwaters receded, they flowed towards Bac Ninh, two hours northeast of Hanoi, causing the water level to rise further.
Bac Ninh, which is crisscrossed by three major rivers—Cau, Thuong, and Luc Nam—has faced severe flooding.
Waters from the Cau and Thuong rivers have either surpassed or are close to surpassing historical flood levels, resulting in widespread flooding across 38 out of 99 communes, mostly in the mountainous regions, which lack industrial zones.
In Tho Ha Commune, floodwaters breached embankments, submerging the first floors of houses near the Cau River. About 10 kilometers away, the ancient village of Tho Ha in Van Ha Commune is flooded up to 2 meters deep.
For the past three days, residents have used makeshift boats to move around.
"This flood is comparable to the one caused by Typhoon Yagi in September 2024," said local resident Nguyen Tu Chi.
The historic Tho Ha communal house, a 300-year-old religious landmark, has been submerged by about one meter of water.
The stela house in the area has also been flooded.
According to meteorological forecasts, the flooding in Bac Ninh is expected to continue for another two to three days.
Residents of Tho Ha shared their distress: "On Tuesday morning, the water was low, but by afternoon, it had flooded the first floors. All activities were disrupted, and power and water were cut off. And we couldn't buy any vegetables," one resident recalled.
A man navigates a boat through tangled power lines and cables on a submerged road in Tho Ha Village.
Boats and makeshift rafts have become the only means of transportation.
Local residents report that this year's flooding is more severe than usual, exaggerated by storm after storm in the past 10 days—first by Typhoon Bualoi and then Typhoon Matmo.
"We had to stay on the roof, eating whatever food we could find. Many families cooked rice on the roof, and those in higher houses helped those in lower ones. We relied on each other," shared another resident.
Essential items have been moved to higher ground, including the Tho Ha neighborhood meeting office, for safekeeping.
Around 600 soldiers have been deployed to Hop Thinh Commune to assist with crop harvesting and reinforcing dikes. The dikes in Cam Bao Village and Xuan Cam Commune had been breached, and soldiers and locals are working together to reinforce cracks along the Cau River using soil and sandbags.
As of Thursday, Bac Ninh has recorded three fatalities due to flooding, with 4,677 families evacuated and 5,197 others isolated. 68 homes have collapsed or been damaged, and thousands of hectares of rice and crops have been affected.
Flooding in Bac Ninh as seen from a helicopter on Oct. 8, 2025. Video by the Vietnam Air Defense - Air Force
