Inside a second-floor classroom, before and after the flood. The classroom is now buried under approximately 1.5 m of mud, with heavily damaged furniture. (Photo: Duc Hung)

A row of level-4 classrooms had their roofs swept away by the flood. Receding waters left mud blocking entrances, and doors are covered in debris. (Photo: Duc Hung)

At 1 AM on 23/7, floodwaters reached halfway up the gate of My Ly 2 Semi-Boarding Primary School in My Ly commune, formerly Ky Son district. Although the water has receded, more than two meters of mud covers the schoolyard, littered with debris and uprooted trees.

The photos show the school's two-story classroom building before and after the flood.

The school's initial assessment indicates 12 televisions, 5 refrigerators, 22 computers, 1.7 tons of rice reserves for semi-boarding students, records, books, blankets, and bedding were either completely submerged or swept away. The estimated damage is between 2.5 and 3 billion VND. (Photo: Duc Hung)

Tran Si Ha, principal of My Ly 2 Primary School, said that before Typhoon Wipha hit, the school moved equipment, learning materials, records, and books to the second floor, believing they would be safe. However, at 5 AM on 23/7, water flooded the second floor, damaging everything.

By 28/7, the water had receded, but piles of mud over a meter high blocked classroom doorways, preventing teachers from cleaning up.

Muong Tip 2 Primary School, formerly in Ky Son district, was submerged under nearly three meters of water when floodwaters rose on the morning of 23/7. Branches, tree trunks, and debris are piled up in front of the classrooms. (Photo: Duc Hung)

Inside a second-floor classroom, before and after the flood. The classroom is now buried under approximately 1.5 m of mud, with heavily damaged furniture. (Photo: Duc Hung)

A row of level-4 classrooms had their roofs swept away by the flood. Receding waters left mud blocking entrances, and doors are covered in debris. (Photo: Duc Hung)

Standing by a cracked classroom, buried under two meters of mud with a corrugated iron roof blocking the entrance, Principal Tran Si Ha said, "Over the past four years, the school has received support from many organizations and individuals to build new facilities and purchase teaching equipment, but everything has been washed away."

"Students from the main campus will be temporarily relocated to smaller campuses while the school is being repaired," Ha said.

The school's initial assessment indicates 12 televisions, 5 refrigerators, 22 computers, 1.7 tons of rice reserves for semi-boarding students, records, books, blankets, and bedding were either completely submerged or swept away. The estimated damage is between 2.5 and 3 billion VND. (Photo: Duc Hung)

At the Xop Duong campus of My Ly 2 Kindergarten, floodwaters surged over two meters, submerging the main classroom block in mud. Learning materials were swept away, and the playground was destroyed.

The schoolyard is filled with debris. Due to road closures, teachers have not been able to clean up.

Bordering My Ly commune is Nhon Mai commune (formerly Tuong Duong district), the only area in Nghe An still isolated by the floods. The education system there has suffered severe damage, with many school campuses submerged.

The Huoi To 2 campus of Mai Son Kindergarten had its yard swept away, leaving it precariously perched beside a rushing stream, at high risk of further landslides.

Muong Tip 2 Primary School, formerly in Ky Son district, was submerged under nearly three meters of water when floodwaters rose on the morning of 23/7. Branches, tree trunks, and debris are piled up in front of the classrooms. (Photo: Duc Hung)

Outbuildings are submerged in debris. The road to the school is blocked by large rocks and thick mud. Teachers have not yet been able to access the school to assess the damage, but estimate that furniture and much of the teaching equipment have been destroyed.

At the Muong Piet campus of Thong Thu 1 Primary School in Thong Thu commune, formerly Que Phong district, two days of heavy rain caused half a meter of flooding. Five classrooms and four teacher's rooms had their roofs blown off, damaging nearly 80 sets of desks and chairs, several computers, and the electricity and water systems.

Typhoon Wipha brought heavy rain to Nghe An. Floodwaters from upstream combined with water released from hydroelectric dams caused flooding, flash floods, and landslides in dozens of communes in formerly mountainous districts like Ky Son, Con Cuong, Quy Chau, Que Phong, and Anh Son. Authorities have reported 4 deaths due to landslides and flooding, with 10 mountain communes and nearly 6,600 households, totaling over 31,000 people, still isolated.

Regarding educational damage, 29 school campuses in mountainous areas were submerged by floodwaters or damaged by landslides.

Leaders of the Nghe An Department of Education and Training said the floods occurred with less than a month until the new school year. Many schools, campuses, and homes of teachers and students in the highlands have been swept away or severely damaged. The local education sector urgently needs national support to help teachers and students in flood-affected areas recover and prepare for the new school year. In the long term, the province will continue to seek resources to replenish facilities, equipment, and books for students.

Duc Hung

Hope Foundation - VnExpress newspaper has launched the "Joining hands for Nghe An" campaign to support the reconstruction of schools damaged by landslides and floods, helping students and teachers recover before the new school year. Readers can contribute to the campaign here.