Ancient town Hoi An is picking up the pieces after being flooded and damaged by the strongest storm to hit Vietnam in 20 years. 

Some streets in Hoi An, a UNESCO heritage site and a popular tourist destination in the central province of Quang Nam, which was among the hardest-hit localities, remained flooded Thursday with no sign of the usual tourist crowds. 

An old banyan tree was uprooted and blocked traffic in the downtown area. Residents used to park their bikes under the tree’s large canopy and walk to a market nearby.

Many other big trees were also knocked down or had their branches felled by heavy rainfall and winds of up to 135 kilometers per hour. 

Residents were concerned that some trees could fall on to the old houses and destroy the town’s most distinguished feature.

As Hoi An is located in the trough area near a river, floodwaters takes longer to recede from the surface. Locals are used to living the annual phenomenon of storms and floods, but this year has been particularly bad. 

Hoi An Market is deserted as Hoai River in spate intrudes into the area. 

Most vendors hung their goods on the ceilings to keep them dry. 

Some vendors have opened and closed their stores several times just in October as they braced for the storms. Many souvenir stores have remained closed for months over Covid-19 impacts.

Three local women smile for the camera as they go out to clean their street. They are optimistic about recovery because they are used to dealing with natural disasters.

Hoi An Market vendors temporarily moved their business to a pagoda nearby.

Some streets have now become dry. Last month, the ancient town was flooded four times. 

Within the span of a single month, central Vietnam has faced five storms and two tropical depressions. Prolonged heavy rains have flooded the region and wrecked several parts with landslides.

At least 230 people have been killed in the disasters, Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc said at a meeting Friday.

Photos by Huynh Ngoc Duy Nguyen.