The water rises and the house rises too.
The passing of Storm No. 4 has “kicked off” the storm season in the Central region this year. When reading the information that the storm would affect Quang Binh, with many years of experience living in flood-prone areas, Mr. Truong Xuan Truong (village 2 Yen Tho, Tan Hoa commune, Minh Hoa district) prepared necessary food and supplies in his floating house. All items and food were prepared by Mr. Truong’s family enough to survive for a long time.
On September 19, the rain started to get heavier, the water level of Rao Nan River gradually rose, as expected, Tan Hoa flooded again. At that time, Mr. Truong's family moved to a floating house to live. "This is also a miniature house for the family, so all activities are still normal. Since having this floating house, the whole commune does not have to evacuate every time there is a flood" - Mr. Truong shared.
Like Mr. Truong's family, other households in the commune were in floating houses when storm No. 4 flooded the area from 1m to 2m deep, more than 400 houses here were flooded. To facilitate movement in the village, each family has a boat and a floating house. For livestock, cattle, and poultry, when there is a forecast of rain and flood, Tan Hoa people will bring them to the high mountains, stock up on vegetables, and row boats to feed them every day.
Tan Hoa Commune is likened to a giant water bag due to its low-lying terrain, surrounded by high mountains. All water sources are concentrated here, but the only exit is a narrow mountain cave.
More than 10 years ago, every time there was a flood, the whole commune evacuated to the mountains. Everyone was worried about leaving behind livestock, pets, and property during the flood.
Since 2011, the floating house model has begun to appear in the commune. Realizing its effectiveness, households have proactively built houses, in addition, many companies, individuals, businesses, and fronts have supported people in building. This is a type of floating house that can be raised according to the water level, and the house is firmly fixed to a column to prevent it from drifting.
Adaptive tourism
Mr. Truong Thanh Duan - Chairman of Tan Hoa Commune People's Committee said: "Not only this storm No. 4, but for many years now, floating houses have helped households feel secure when floods come. Currently, the whole commune has 620/716 households prepared with floating houses. Currently, the flood water has receded so households have returned to normal activities."
In recent years, the floating house models have been improved by Tan Hoa people, adding suitable techniques to ensure safety. Many people also make floating houses as large as normal houses with enough bedrooms, living rooms and kitchens.
Although it is flood season, the water in Tan Hoa is quite calm, there are no big waves, people can live comfortably on floating houses and travel safely by boat.
During the flood season, the houses still float, without any damage to the furniture in the house. As soon as the water recedes, people can welcome guests without having to clean up the house and mud. All activities are normal, including the lives of both locals and tourists, except instead of cycling, they kayak and go by boat. In 2024, Tan Hoa welcomed about 10,000 visitors to experience all types of tourism.
Mr. Nguyen Chau A, Director of Oxalis Adventure Tours said: “We do everything we can to make sure that people and tourists feel secure during the flood season and that tourism activities are not disrupted. While many other areas have temporary tourism activities during the flood season, here, people can still welcome guests, eliminating the “seasonality” and normalizing the flood days.”
