After three days of evacuation due to historic flooding, residents of Nha Trang (Khanh Hoa Province) returned home only to find thick layers of mud and debris covering both their homes and the streets. Amid the wreckage of their belongings, many could not hold back their tears.

On November 21, as floodwaters began to recede in Nha Trang, residents of Thai Thong Street in Nam Nha Trang Ward came back early in the morning to assess the damage and salvage what little remained. The once-bustling street was now slick with slippery mud. With the water gone, sidewalks became staging grounds for ruined furniture and appliances pulled from homes.

In some areas where water still lingered, people waded through to get home. Just three nights earlier, torrential rains had caused water levels to rise dramatically, submerging many communes and wards across Khanh Hoa. The most severely affected were Tay Nha Trang and Nam Nha Trang, where thousands were stranded in flooded areas.

Under clear skies and retreating waters, 58-year-old Nguyen Thi Thu Ha returned to clean her home in Thai Thong neighborhood.

“I’ve lived here for decades and seen floods before, but never anything like this,” she said.

Around 11 p.m. on November 19, water poured into her house, reaching past her knees. Her modest home doubled as a family business, and she rushed to move her elderly mother and daughter to a relative’s place in Nha Trang Ward. When she came back, she was stunned to find most of her inventory submerged in muddy water and severely damaged.

About 100 meters from Ha’s home, Mai Xuan Hoang was busy hauling his television, refrigerator, washing machine, and other household items into the yard.

“Electronics that get soaked and buried in mud are all ruined,” he said grimly.

That night, heavy rain continued for hours. Fearing the worst, Hoang and his wife raised their belongings to higher ground. But by midnight, the water had risen to the roof. He had to remove tiles and help his family flee to a neighbor’s house.

“This time the flood was just too high. All our assets are submerged. I don’t know what, if anything, can be saved,” he lamented.

Across the street, after scraping away the thick mud, Hoang Thi Ha Le sprayed water to clean her rented two-story house. In front of the house was the family's small rice eatery.

“We just bought all this furniture recently, and now everything’s ruined. The loss is huge,” she said through tears.

When the flood came, Le and her family sheltered on the second floor. Realizing that neighbors living in one-story homes were at risk, they helped them to safety.

Nearby, a family's metal roller door was twisted and broken. The scene in Nam Nha Trang was one of widespread devastation, debris, and loss.

Local militia in Nam Nha Trang Ward shoveled mud in preparation to set up an emergency relief distribution point.

Nguyen Tuan Vu, Deputy Commander of the local Military Command, said:

“Some areas are still flooded, so we’ve deployed teams in different directions to rescue those trapped and deliver essential supplies.”

As the waters recede, these teams are continuing to assist in home cleanup efforts and food distribution.

One man, his health weakened and legs numb after being trapped for days, was rescued from an alley on Cau Dua Phu Nong Street and taken to a medical center.

As of November 16, 54 communes and wards across Khanh Hoa had reported 162 flood-affected sites. Many neighborhoods remain submerged, with thousands still isolated. The province has recorded 14 deaths and around 9,000 flooded or damaged homes.

Xuan Ngoc