Excerpts on the wooden wall
The historic flood at the end of October caused the Hoai River to rise higher than in 1964 - a sad record that Hoi An people do not want to repeat. The peak on October 30 was half a meter in water at Chua Cau - a symbol of Hoi Street, which is considered the highest point in the riverside area. People compare that Cau Pagoda has become a "temporary wharf" for those fleeing floods, where the ancient tiled roofs sloped to protect people in the vastness of silver water.
On the wall of Quan Thang ancient house, a row of landmarks carved with numbers 1964, 1999, 2007, 2009 - the years when Hoi An sank in flood. This year, people carved a new line.
Each engraving in the 300-year-old house is a story. In 1964 - the "Giap Thin flood" submerged the entire town, in 1999 - water overflowed into the roof and now in 2025 - "overflowed history". Hoi An people do not want to destroy those traces, because they are memories - pain but also a testament to the enduring vitality of Hoi An Street.
The old town after the flood, the beauty in fragility
On the wooden mural carved with flood markers in the ancient Quan Thang house, new carvings were added like a sad but proud diary. It is not only the mark of nature, but also a testament to the resilience of the people here - those who patiently keep the "soul of the old town", amidst the turbulent flow of time and floods.
According to statistics from the Hoi An World Cultural Heritage Conservation Management Center, the ancient town has more than 1,130 relics, of which more than 1,000 are ancient houses, most of which are built of wood, hundreds of years old. Every flood season, those tiled roofs are struggling under the weight of water.
There are currently 30 relics in serious disrepair, 10 works are at an alarming level, and can collapse at any time. On Tran Phu route, house No. 68 is nearly 400m2 wide - where 3 old women over 80 years old live, leaking, with dead wood and rutted wood and leaky tiles. The government has repeatedly campaigned to relocate, but Mr. Ngo Thi Gan can only shake her head: "Where to go, the house is the memory of our ancestors' entire lives".
Mr. Pham Phu Ngoc - Deputy Director of the Hoi An World Cultural Heritage Conservation Center - shared with Lao Dong: " Private relics account for more than 70%, of which many houses have been in use for many generations, overlapping documents, and people whose names are not in the country. Although we know it is dangerous, we cannot intervene yet.
For private relics, the state supports 45 - 75% of restoration costs, the rest is contributed by the people. But most of the households are poor, dependent on tourism, and have now lost everything due to floods. "Now that we have contributed money for renovation, we still don't have enough to eat" - Ms. Luong Thi Huyen Trang - at 76/18 Tran Phu - said.
The flood lasted for more than a week, causing many ancient structures to collapse. Theamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamamam According to Mr. Ngoc, "Hoi An relics themselves, built with traditional materials, when soaked in water for a long time, the structure weakens. More than 90% of the ancient town is submerged in water, so the damage this year is huge".
Before each storm season, the Center has made a list of relics that need emergency support, distributed firewood to people, and instructed on evacuating people in weak houses. This year, before storm No. 13 made landfall, the authorities continued to set up checkpoints and evacuate people from 10 relics at risk of collapse.
At the same time, the Center prepared a dossier to submit to the Ministry of Culture and the People's Committee of Da Nang City to propose an emergency restoration project for 30 relics, both collective and private ownership - using the entire State budget, to "save the soul of Hoi An" - Mr. Ngoc said.
