After floodwaters from the Red River receded, Hanoi's famed Nhat Tan peach-growing village was left devastated. Thousands of peach trees lay buried in thick mud, wilted and lifeless after days underwater.
In recent days, large swaths of Nhat Tan village in Hanoi were submerged. Dozens of hectares of riverside farmland - the main livelihood for local farmers - were engulfed in floodwaters.By the afternoon of October 12, as the waters withdrew, the scale of destruction came into focus. Thick layers of mud blanketed the land. Once-vibrant peach trees were now yellowing, drooping, with many uprooted or broken.Across rows of muddied fields, thousands of peach trees were entangled in dense sludge, plastic waste, and floating debris. With Lunar New Year just months away, flower farmers were gripped with anguish and anxiety.After being soaked in heavy mud and stagnant water for days, the trees’ roots suffocated and began to rot in large numbers.Leaves turned yellow and fell, covering the garden floors. The trees were left stripped bare, their branches skeletal and brittle.Witnessing their trees rot and die after prolonged flooding, many orchard owners were unable to contain their sorrow.They had no choice but to chop down the dying trees, gathering the rotting branches into piles for burning, clearing the land for a new planting cycle.“Last year, storm Yagi wiped out my entire orchard. I thought that was the worst it could get, yet this year another 500 trees couldn’t survive the flood,” said Hue Dinh, eyes welling with tears. “You can’t predict natural disasters. Now we can only start again, hoping the soil recovers in time for Tet.”Not only were thousands of peach trees swept away or drowned, but rows of hoa mi daisies interplanted by farmers to earn extra income were also completely submerged and destroyed.The once-pure white daisy fields, ready for harvest, were now nothing but broken, drooping stems buried in sludge.Watching blackened flower branches burning in the fire, it’s clear how precarious life is for these farmers - every flower season brings the dread of losing everything.“Burning the peach trees I cared for with my own hands… it hurts,” said Mr. Binh, staring at a smoldering heap of ash. “But how do you hide from natural disaster?”
Vietnamnet.vn
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