Vietnam Insider

Rising floodwaters have submerged nearly every street in Hoi An’s UNESCO-listed Old Town, but instead of keeping visitors away, the surreal “water city” scene is drawing even more tourists.

Streets become rivers — and tourists keep coming

By Monday evening (Oct. 27), floodwaters reached half a meter to two meters deep across main streets like Tran Phu, Nguyen Thai Hoc, and Bach Dang. Locals navigated by boat while visitors waded barefoot through knee-deep water to snap photos and enjoy what many called a “once-in-a-lifetime experience.”

“It’s amazing — the whole old town is underwater, yet people are calm and smiling,” said Armand, a visitor from Belgium. “It’s my first time seeing this, and it’s strangely beautiful.”

On Tran Phu Street — the only accessible route into the Old Quarter — shopkeepers stacked goods on high shelves while tourists laughed, splashing through floodwaters to reach the lantern-lit alleys.

Locals resilient as water rises

For residents, the floods are less of a spectacle and more a challenge.
“This is the biggest flood we’ve had this year,” said Nguyen Kiem, 72, a longtime resident of An Hoi. “Water rose over 1.5 meters in my home. We had to move everything — even our motorbikes — to higher ground.”

Shop owners worked through the night to protect merchandise from the rising waters. “I didn’t expect it to flood this quickly,” said Thanh Thuy, who runs a souvenir shop. “We just hope it doesn’t rise any higher.”

Authorities on alert

According to the Central Vietnam Hydrometeorological Center, flood levels on the Thu Bon River are expected to reach 3 meters within the next 6–12 hours — a full meter above the highest warning level.

Local authorities have stationed emergency teams at low-lying areas and are preparing evacuations if needed. Tourists staying in An Hoi have been advised to temporarily relocate to safer zones.

Despite the rising water, Hoi An’s quiet resilience — and the sight of its iconic yellow walls reflected in floodwater — continue to captivate visitors.

“It’s sad and beautiful at the same time,” said Ha Ngoc Anh, a tourist from Hanoi. “I’ll stay a few more days and wait for the water to recede — because Hoi An in the flood season is something you have to see to believe.”

A 52-year-old man who set fire to a crowded café in Hanoi, killing 11 people in one of Vietnam’s deadliest arson cases in recent memory, is set to face trial next month.

A revenge act that turned into a mass tragedy

Authorities said Cao Van Hung, from Dong Ngac Ward, Hanoi, became enraged after being slapped during an argument at the same café weeks earlier.

On the night of December 18, 2024, Hung returned to the café on Pham Van Dong Street, carrying a plastic can of gasoline worth about VND 150,000 (US$6).
After arguing with staff and demanding to confront the man who had previously hit him, Hung poured the gasoline over the entrance and set the café ablaze.

Within minutes, flames engulfed the two-story venue, trapping customers and employees inside. Eleven people were killed, including nine patrons and two café workers. The blaze also spread to an adjacent workshop, causing more than VND 2.6 billion (US$100,000) in damages.

Hung suffered burns to his legs as the fire spread to his shoes, but survived and turned himself in at the Ministry of Public Security headquarters shortly afterward.

A long criminal history

Court documents reveal that Hung had multiple prior convictions, including robbery in 1998 and theft in 2005.

He now faces charges of murder and property destruction, both of which carry the death penalty under Vietnamese law.

Trial and public reaction

The Hanoi People’s Court is expected to begin the trial on November 17, nearly a year after the tragedy that horrified the nation.

The case reignited public debate over urban violence, mental health, and Vietnam’s sentencing policies for violent offenders.

“This was not a spontaneous act — it was cold-blooded revenge that wiped out innocent lives,” one local commentator wrote on social media.

A Chinese boxing champion announced his decision to divorce his wife after both were violently attacked by strangers on a bus in Australia — a shocking incident that left him with a concussion and his wife covered in bruises.

The incident, which took place in New South Wales, has gone viral across Chinese social media, sparking heated debates over gender roles, self-defense, and guilt in relationships.

Zhou Ruanqi, 25, from Henan province, is a professional boxer who won the WBA Asia Championship in 2023, becoming China’s first continental champion born after 2000. He and his wife had moved to Australia last year to rebuild his career after disputes with his management team in China.

In a video posted on October 14, Zhou and his wife were attacked by a woman and two men after a verbal confrontation on a bus. When Zhou’s wife protested against the group’s offensive remarks, they allegedly began assaulting her.

Zhou attempted to protect his wife but was struck in the head with a sharp object, causing a minor brain concussion, while his wife suffered multiple bruises and severe emotional distress.

Police later arrested two suspects, and under Australian law, assault causing bodily harm can carry up to five years in prison.

After being discharged from the hospital, Zhou faced online criticism for “failing to protect his wife.” Some netizens mocked the professional fighter for not retaliating during the attack.

In response, Zhou said his wife had stopped him from fighting back, fearing any violent reaction could damage his career. “If I can’t keep her safe, then what’s the point of success?” he said in a video posted on October 21, where he announced their upcoming divorce.

He described his wife as brave and selfless, recalling that she once intervened to stop three teenagers from causing trouble at a mall. “She gave up her life in China to support me. I’ve failed to protect her — I’m not worthy to be her husband,” he said.

The statement has since ignited mixed reactions online. Many called Zhou’s decision “too emotional,” urging him to “take responsibility and heal together” instead of breaking up.

Others sympathized with his guilt, saying the attack likely left lasting trauma for both.

As of now, Zhou’s wife has not commented publicly on the incident.

A 14-year-old ninth-grade student in Hanoi was fatally stabbed by a schoolmate following a brief argument and challenge to a fight, local police confirmed on Monday evening.

Authorities say the attack took place on October 25 in Noi Bai Commune, near Hanoi’s international airport, when an argument between two boys — both 14 — escalated into violence.

From Online Insults to Tragic Confrontation

According to the investigation, the victim, identified as V.M.K., had invited his friend L.M.K. to hang out earlier that afternoon. When the latter declined, the two exchanged heated words over the phone, with insults and a challenge to meet in person.

Later that evening, at around 8:10 p.m., the two met at the Tan Trai Village community hall, where the confrontation turned deadly. Police said the suspect, L.M.K., pulled out a knife and stabbed the victim in the chest.

The boy was rushed to the hospital but died shortly after due to severe injuries.

After the incident, the suspect reportedly hid the knife in his motorbike and returned home, where he was arrested two hours later by Hanoi police.

Police Reject ‘Love Triangle’ Rumors

Authorities moved quickly to dispel rumors circulating on social media suggesting the stabbing stemmed from a love-related dispute.

“This is false information,” Hanoi police said in a statement. “The incident resulted from a personal quarrel between the two boys, not a romantic conflict.”

Officials also urged the public to avoid spreading unverified details online, warning that sharing false information could lead to legal consequences.

Youth Violence Concerns in Vietnam

The case has sparked renewed discussion in Vietnam about youth aggression and online bullying, particularly in suburban and rural areas where supervision and counseling resources are limited.

In recent years, several cases involving school-age violence — often triggered by minor disagreements or social media insults — have shocked communities across the country.

Authorities are continuing to investigate the case while providing psychological support to the families and school involved.

A late-night taxi ride near Vietnam’s northern border turned violent when four foreign nationals allegedly attacked their driver, fearing they were being trafficked.

Authorities in Lạng Sơn Province, which borders China, have detained four foreigners accused of stabbing a 40-year-old Vietnamese taxi driver in the neck on Sunday night.

The group, police say, had illegally crossed into Vietnam seeking work through an informal broker. But when the driver began taking them toward Hanoi, they panicked — believing they were being sold into human trafficking — and allegedly turned on him with a knife.

A Border Job Hunt Gone Wrong

The incident unfolded around 11:10 p.m. on October 26 along National Highway 1A, a major trade and transport corridor connecting the Chinese border to Hanoi.

A passing truck driver spotted the victims’ taxi swerving across lanes before its door flung open and passengers fled into the night. Inside, he found the driver bleeding heavily from a neck wound and rushed him to a nearby hospital.

Police later identified the victim as Nguyễn Văn Định, a driver from Bắc Ninh Province, now recovering at Viet Duc Hospital in Hanoi after emergency surgery. He is no longer in critical condition.

Authorities Probe Human Trafficking Fears

Investigators say the attack was not motivated by robbery, as initially suspected, but by fear and confusion. The four suspects told police they believed they were being tricked into a trafficking network after being promised jobs in Vietnam.

Police have not yet disclosed the suspects’ nationalities but confirmed that they entered Vietnam illegally through a border area near Lạng Sơn. The case remains under investigation.

Border Region Under Scrutiny

Northern Vietnam has seen a rise in illegal border crossings involving migrant jobseekers and trafficking victims from neighboring countries. Many are lured by online recruitment scams or false promises of factory jobs in industrial zones near Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City.

Authorities have warned that such networks — often run by brokers operating along the Vietnam–China border — are becoming more sophisticated, exploiting language barriers and migrants’ desperation for work.

Context: The Broader Issue

Vietnam’s northern provinces, including Lạng Sơn and Cao Bằng, serve as crossroads for human trafficking and illegal migration routes. While Vietnam has toughened border security and cooperation with neighboring countries, incidents like this highlight ongoing challenges in managing irregular labor migration and cross-border crime.