One house was swept away and two others collapsed in a landslide that occurred in the early hours of May 1 in My Khanh Commune of Phong Dien District in the Mekong Delta province of Can Tho.
The riverbank landslide stretched for 20 meters and encroached on 10 meters of mainland, threatening the 923-road link to Ninh Kieu and Phong Dien districts.
Thai Thi Hieu, 67, owner of the collapsed house said she heard strange sounds early morning from behind the house. Hieu then saw the house crumbling and being swept into the Can Tho River. She immediately rushed to bring her sleeping son out of the house just as it sank into the River. She lost all her belongings with the house.
This particular section of the Can Tho River between Cai Rang Bridge to Phong Dien town in Phong Dien District has always been prone to landslides and erosion.
Erosion has become a major problem due to increased development along the riverbanks. Widescale construction of restaurants and homes has affected the water flow, compounded even more by ships on the waterfront.
Four severe mudslides have occurred here within the past four years, destroying dozens of houses and sinking hundreds of meters of road into the water. The loss to property continues despite billions of dong being invested in strengthening of dykes along the Can Tho River and its tributaries.
