Hoi An residents and sanitation workers started a massive cleanup operation Monday as floodwaters recede.  

The An Hoi Bridge that crosses the Hoai River, an icon of the ancient town in Quang Nam Province, is surrounded by almost 20 tons of garbage that include tree branches, firewood, plastic bags, and styrofoam containers.

Excavators collect garbage near the bridge Monday.

A section near the Bridge Pagoda is covered in a mud layer of 10 centimeters.

Up to 40 workers from Hoi An Public Works JSC were deployed to clear mud.

After collecting the mud, workers spray water pumped from the Hoai River to clean the streets.

A worker sprays water to clear mud in front of the Bridge Pagoda.

Since last Saturday the central region has received heavy downpours due to a combination of a cold spell, an intertropical convergence zone and windward terrain of Annamite Range.

Staff clean up a store on Bach Dang Street.

"The floods rose around 30 centimeters in one night, leaving a mud layer of two centimeters," the store’s owner said.

The town of Hoi An is under floodwaters Monday.

From late Oct. 15 to early Oct. 17, Quang Nam received 150-200 millimeters of rain, with 377 millimeters recorded in some places.