Trash, debris, thick mud blanket Vietnamese province as floodwaters recede

By Giang Huy   October 9, 2025 | 06:21 am PT
Floodwaters that submerged tens of thousands of homes in Thai Nguyen finally retreated on Thursday, but they left behind streets buried in mud, piles of ruined furniture and mountains of trash.
Trash, debris, thick mud blanket Vietnamese province as floodwaters recede

On Le Quy Don Street in the province center, water has receded from homes, leaving roads caked in mud. Residents dragged furniture outside to clean or discarded waterlogged, damaged particleboard items.

Trash, debris, thick mud blanket Vietnamese province as floodwaters recede

On Bac Kan Street, household items made of foam, sponge, and plywood were piled on sidewalks, waiting for sanitation workers to collect.

Trash, debris, thick mud blanket Vietnamese province as floodwaters recede

Plastic waste and billboards float on Luong Ngoc Quyen Street, which remains submerged by about 0.5 meter of water.

Trash, debris, thick mud blanket Vietnamese province as floodwaters recede

Thanh Phuong’s grocery store on Le Quy Don Street has been underwater for two days, with almost all goods damaged. She estimated her losses at hundreds of millions of dong.

Trash, debris, thick mud blanket Vietnamese province as floodwaters recede

To salvage what she could, Phuong mobilized staff to move merchandise outside, wash and sort them before reselling.

Trash, debris, thick mud blanket Vietnamese province as floodwaters recede

Huu Dai’s gas shop on Duong Tu Minh Street was also heavily damaged by the flood.

“My family lives elsewhere. By the time I rushed over, water had already filled half the shop. I only managed to move a few things to the second floor, but 40 gas cylinders in the back were swept away, and gas stoves were ruined after being submerged for two days,” Dai said.

Trash, debris, thick mud blanket Vietnamese province as floodwaters recede

“The water rose too fast. With so few people at home, I couldn’t save belongings on the first floor in time,” said Hung, while cleaning his staircase.

Trash, debris, thick mud blanket Vietnamese province as floodwaters recede

A few hundred meters away, Tram’s family was busy scrubbing mud from their home. As the water had not fully receded, electricity and tap water had not yet been restored.

Trash, debris, thick mud blanket Vietnamese province as floodwaters recede

Residents stocked up on brooms and food supplies as Duong Tu Minh Street remained half a meter under water, with power and water outages ongoing.

Trash, debris, thick mud blanket Vietnamese province as floodwaters recede

A mechanical workshop on the street was deeply flooded, leaving many motorbikes, cars, and machines damaged.

Trash, debris, thick mud blanket Vietnamese province as floodwaters recede

An excavator stalled after being submerged for two days while attempting to cross a flooded section of Duong Tu Minh Street.

Trash, debris, thick mud blanket Vietnamese province as floodwaters recede

A man ran a generator to help students renting rooms on Le Quy Don Street charge their phones while waiting for electricity to return.

Residents of Thai Nguyen clean up their homes after floods. Video by Loc Chung
 
 
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