After the historic floodwaters receded, many streets in Tay (West) Nha Trang (Khanh Hoa Province) were left blanketed with mud and garbage, releasing a pungent stench. Belongings soaked for days in the rising waters were irreparably damaged and now lie in soggy piles across the city.

In Tay Nha Trang Ward, residential areas remain buried under sludge and debris. Damaged furniture and household items have been stacked at doorsteps, awaiting removal.

On 23 Thang 10 Street - a major arterial route and the western gateway to Nha Trang - garbage piles up on both sides. Despite the water receding days ago, alleys and neighborhoods along this route remain muddy and impassable. Many cars that broke down in the flood had to be towed to roadside repair shops, worsening traffic congestion.

Items like freezers, foam cushions, and wooden furniture are now reduced to rubbish, lining the streets as they await collection by sanitation trucks.

Clothing, blankets, mats, pillows, shoes, and even sofas - now reeking of mold and stained yellow with filth - have been discarded by residents who see no hope of salvaging them.

Nguyen Van Si, 65, from Group 1 in Tay Nha Trang Ward, said the flood rose rapidly during the night, forcing him to escape onto his roof. Everything below was submerged and destroyed.

Plastic waste, nylon bags, household items, and milk cartons from convenience stores lie caked in silt, spilling into the streets. “The flood collapsed our shop wall and ruined nearly all our goods,” a shop owner shared.

On Go Bau Street, where water once rose over three meters, 35-year-old Nguyen Duy Thinh said families have been dragging their trash out to the streets, forming massive garbage piles. “The unbearable stench is seeping into our house. It’s making my mother’s lung condition and sinus infection worse,” he said.

Nearby, Le Xuan Long and neighbors have been shoveling mud for days but have yet to clear it all. Trash overflows in the central area of Vinh Thanh.

According to Long, some families hired 2.5-ton trucks at about $20 per trip to haul waste away, but many can't afford the cost. They're now waiting for environmental teams to assist and help decontaminate the area to prevent further pollution.

At Cho Ga (Train Station Market), garbage has overwhelmed the area, forcing a suspension of business. Some vendors have resorted to makeshift stalls outside the market, surrounded by mountains of trash.

After rinsing floodwater and mud out of his washing machine, a man loaded it onto a three-wheeled vehicle to take it for repairs. Many are attempting to salvage what they can.

On Luong Dinh Cua Street, 70-year-old Nguyen Ngoc Trang was seen picking through the rubbish outside his home. Pointing to the water line still visible on the wall, he recounted the horror. “I’ve lived here since 1993. This was the most terrifying flood ever.”

“The water rose fast. It submerged the house by about 2.5 meters. We had to take shelter on the second floor. The TV, refrigerator, washing machine - they’re all destroyed,” he said grimly.

Throughout the neighborhoods, garbage piles up endlessly. Some residents drag out spring mattresses to nearby fields and set them ablaze to retrieve and sell the metal inside, desperate to earn money to survive after losing everything.

Speaking to the reporter, one man said his family had been stranded on the roof when the water rose rapidly, only rescued later by emergency crews. With their house destroyed and belongings lost, he now works odd jobs to get by.

Cleanup crews have been mobilized to remove the garbage. With the volume overwhelming, even excavators are being used to load waste onto trucks for disposal.

According to the Environmental Enterprise under Nha Trang Urban Environment JSC, post-flood waste volumes have surged dramatically, requiring workers to extend shifts and operate at maximum capacity.

The company has deployed 300 workers in morning shifts and 450 in afternoon and evening shifts. Some teams work until 2–3 a.m. On average, over 1,100 tons of garbage are collected daily - several times the normal amount.

Xuan Ngoc