A section of National Highway 1A in Ha Tinh

By late Thursday, the water receded on the section of National Highway 1A in the central provinces of Quang Tri and Thua Thien-Hue so vehicles can go through more easily. However, lots of other national highways through the two localities have still faced landslides.

In many areas, holes of up to 30-70 metres have appeared on roads or roads have been covered by tens of thousands of cubic metres of soil and stone, totally blocking traffic. For instance, some 16 kilometres of Ho Chi Minh Highway in the central region have been severely damaged; meanwhile, landslide and erosion in Quang Binh Province has cracked the road surface and broke the Cha Lo International Border Gate Station.

Tran Quang Thanh, an official from the Road Administration Department of Vietnam, said that rain had stopped in the central region, however, many areas have been soaked by the water for days, so it was still challenging for authorities to deal with landslides and rescue.

The department is seeking the Ministry of Transport’s approval for funding VND100 billion (USD4.34 million) for repairing damaged roads.

Thanh noted that the department sent staff from three companies to the central region for clearing roads affected by floods; however, the rescue has met with many difficulties due to narrow terrain and the severe inundation.

The rescue has focused on main roads first and will then expand to smaller ones. If the weather is fine, it would take at least one month to clear all flood-hit roads in the central region.