In the following days, the erosion continued, claiming more houses and threatening 10 others. Residents watched helplessly as their lifelong possessions tumbled into the river.

Seven houses were swept away by the Tien River on the morning of 20/9. The crashing of roofs, collapsing walls, and the roar of the earth gave way, leaving families terrified. A 100-meter stretch of the riverbank suddenly collapsed more than 20 meters inward, taking with it the residents' belongings, estimated to be worth billions of dong.

"There was no warning. I was swept into the river along with my house while I was sound asleep. Luckily, I only suffered minor injuries," said Tran Van Nhi, a resident of Tan Tich Hamlet, Cao Lanh Ward, still shaken by the experience.

Authorities helped residents move their ancestral altars to relatives' homes for temporary safekeeping.

Goods from a shop located within the critical landslide zone were also moved.

After days of hesitation, Tran Van Tu was forced to move all his belongings into the yard, waiting to relocate to a relative's house. For the past few days, he and his wife have taken turns keeping watch, fearing another sudden landslide.

Living in constant fear, he is increasingly worried about where he will rebuild his home.

Residents searched the river in boats, trying to salvage belongings like hats, mattresses, mats, clothes, and beds still afloat.

Militia and neighbors helped Nguyen Van Dat dismantle his house, salvaging the roof and iron pillars. The house, worth nearly half a billion dong, had been completed only two weeks prior.

"The riverbank seemed more than 10 meters away. I never thought it would erode so quickly," Dat said, adding that his family lost their previous home to a landslide over 10 years ago.

Nguyen Van Be Ty searched for belongings after the devastating landslide that swept away his entire house.

Residents used many boats to recover possessions swept away by the river, piling them up on the shore. Many items were waterlogged and damaged.

The raging river swallowed almost all of Nguyen Thi Ni's house. Her family escaped with only the clothes on their backs.

Dong Thap is one of the provinces severely affected by riverbank erosion. The province currently has 70 landslide locations, spanning over 7 km, requiring approximately 505 billion dong for remediation.

All that remains of Tran Van Nhi's 30-meter-long house is a ruined yard. The 64-year-old said his family is currently staying with relatives.

The Mekong Delta currently has over 800 erosion hotspots along its rivers and coastline, stretching over 1,000 km. Each year, 300-500 hectares of land, along with numerous houses and infrastructure, are lost to the river.

The main causes are reduced sediment flow, sand mining, land subsidence due to groundwater extraction, high tides, and the loss of protective forests. Authorities have built embankments, planted mangrove forests, managed sand mining, and developed relocation plans, but the threat remains serious.

Ngoc Tai