Hamlet 11 in Muong Than commune is buried under about half a meter of mud, rendering roads and gardens unrecognizable. Dozens of excavators and bulldozers, along with soldiers, police, and residents, are working to clear an 800-meter stretch of national route 32, which connects Hanoi to Phu Tho, Lao Cai, and Lai Chau.

In Muong Than commune alone, the floods have caused four deaths, four missing persons, and an estimated 120 billion dong in economic damage.

Excavators continuously move large boulders from national route 32 and temporarily level the surface to reopen the road as soon as possible. Thousands of cubic meters of rocks of all sizes, many weighing up to hundreds of tons, have destroyed national route 32, creating a stream flowing directly down the middle of the road.

A large quantity of logs, approximately 5-7 meters long, are lodged next to residents' homes.

Logs, mud, and rocks flooded the ground floors of residents' homes. In Muong Than commune, 14 homes were completely destroyed, 11 homes sustained over 70% damage, and 15 homes were partially damaged. The ground floors of many concrete houses were overwhelmed by earth, rocks, and logs. Residents reported that the floodwaters rose very quickly, allowing just enough time to evacuate the elderly and children to higher ground.

Excavators are clearing a large amount of timber to restore the site for Hamlet 11's school.

Extensive rice fields behind the hamlets of Chit, Doi 9, Doi 11, and Sap Ngua are covered in earth and rocks. Much of the seasonal rice crop is almost entirely lost following the flash flood.

This morning, Lai Chau provincial Border Guard mobilized sniffer dogs to search for the four missing persons.

The flash flood originated in the Hoang Lien Son mountain range, at elevations over 1,000 meters. Hundreds of landslides along the mountainsides combined with rainwater, forming torrents that flowed down to residential areas 1-3 kilometers away. Gia Chinh - The Bang