Floods submerge Vietnam's dragon fruit farms / Photo: Thanh LONG - AFP
-
Below Deck alumnus João Franco and brother arrested after fatal Turkey fight
-
Ole Miss inquiry expands after video and monkey-noise allegations
-
Thousands of Urban Homes Left Without High-Speed Internet Due to Broadband Blackspots
-
General Hospital actor Randall England dies at 75
-
Bunnie XO artwork taken down from Jelly Roll’s Nashville bar
-
London museum removes Russell Brand hair exhibit after rape conviction
-
Arlington sentinel rebukes Pete Hegseth entourage for laughter near memorial
-
Yella Beezy sentenced to life for arranging rapper Mo3’s murder
-
Kylie Jenner employee describes closet ordeal and pepper-spray incident
-
Authorities to identify Montauk Mary and five other Long Island cold-case victims
-
Davante Adams injury deepens Los Angeles Rams receiver shortage
-
Barbie sequel negotiations stall over reported $25 million pay packages
-
João Franco’s earlier post draws attention after arrest over fatal Turkey brawl
-
Bath & Body Works launches buy-one-get-one-free candle offer
-
Alberta Launches $5M Fund for Women’s Neurology Research to Address Gender Gaps
-
Itlu Arjuna receives U/A certificate ahead of theatrical release
-
Dhananjaya de Silva guides Sri Lanka to 221-4 against Pakistan
-
Niraj Kumar earns Los Angeles Olympic quota with 50m rifle bronze
-
Delhi gold loses Rs 800 while silver falls Rs 5,000
-
India extends micro-credit guarantee plan for five years
-
Madlanga Commission Deadline Extended to 2027 Amid Calls for Structural Justice Reform
-
Pradeep Antony, Smeha Manimegalai portray secret spouses in Mr & Mrs Office
-
Zelenskyy arrives in Dublin for meetings on Ukraine and peace efforts
-
Woman barred from every Greggs outlet after series of offences
-
Jury hears social-media image helped identify teen in Scarlett Faulkner case
-
Ketchup packets link suspect to break-in at Eddie Rocket’s restaurant
-
American Airlines passenger falls ill and vomits on three travellers
-
Spain's General Strike Links Housing Crisis to Lost Purchasing Power
-
US Inflation Broadens as Fed Officials Consider Faster Rate Hikes
-
China's Singles' Day Exposes Persistent Consumer Caution
-
China's Trade Surplus Passes $1 Trillion as Technology Exports Surge
-
OPEC Says Oil Output Is Near Prewar Levels Despite Shipping Disruptions
-
Bank of England Raises Interest Rate to 4% as Energy Risks Intensify
-
US Adds 165,000 Jobs as Unemployment Falls to 4.1%
-
China's Factory Inflation Accelerates While Consumer Demand Stays Weak
-
Euro-Area Inflation Reaches 4% as Energy Prices Jump
-
Energy Costs Push OECD Inflation Up to 4.5%
-
Irish police prepare for further hoax bomb threats after hundreds of schools targeted
-
Korea, Singapore and New Zealand Advance Green Trade Pact Talks
-
RBA Inflation Target Origins: Why Australia Chose a Range Over Zero
-
Ireland and Ukraine consider drone cooperation memorandum after Dublin talks
-
Sister recounts fatal machete attack as Irish murder trial continues
-
Georgia refrigeration company sues EPA after five-year HFC reprieve
-
HoloCoder technology promises brighter smartphone images and 3D depth data
-
EU proposes broad consumer safeguards for apps, subscriptions and ticketing
-
Early Black Friday Walking Pad Deals: Urevo and WalkingPad Discounts
-
Nvidia faces scrutiny over alleged Chinese intelligence link to Jensen Huang
-
Radical Numerics develops offline AI tool to detect engineered pathogens
-
Chennai orders inquiry after dogs die at shelter; two veterinarians face action
-
Kiara Advani Reveals Sidharth Malhotra’s Reaction to Toxic Backlash
Floods submerge Vietnam's dragon fruit farms
Floods submerged hundreds of hectares of dragon fruit farms in south Vietnam, residents told AFP on Thursday, with many villagers forced to seek shelter on higher ground.
The flooding in Binh Thuan province was triggered by heavy rain and the discharge of water from an irrigation reservoir on Tuesday and Wednesday.
"We lost all our dragon fruit and cucumber crops this year," Ho Van Trung, 66, told AFP.
Vietnam dragon fruit exports generated a record $1.8 billion in 2018, but the figure has been declining in recent years.
Binh Thuan province is home to Vietnam's biggest growing area, measuring 28,000 hectares and producing 600,000 tonnes of fruit each year.
The fiery red and green fruit with a scaly skin that gives it its name thrives in hot and dry conditions, but, as part of the cactus family, cannot stand immersion in water.
On Thursday, farmers in two villages in Binh Thuan's Ham My commune said the floods in the area were "unprecedented".
"My house and my gardens growing dragon fruit and cucumber are all submerged," Trung said.
Living close by, Dao Thi Bich Thao and her husband had to evacuate their one-storey home after it flooded.
"Water came so quickly that we could only move our TV and refrigerator and then flee," Thao said.
Around 200 households and 400 hectares of crops, mostly dragon fruit, had been flooded, a local official in Ham My commune told state news site VNExpress.
More than 70 residents moved to higher ground as their homes were temporarily uninhabitable, the report said.
Scientists have warned that extreme weather events globally are becoming more intense and frequent due to climate change.
Other parts of Vietnam have also been hit by heavy rain and floods in recent months.
The country's north has suffered through an extremely wet summer, with mountainous areas in the northwest particularly badly hit since early July.
Across the country, nearly 29,000 houses have been damaged and 90,000 hectares of crops destroyed, Vietnam's General Statistic Office (GSO) said late last month.
Floods caused around $85 million in damage in the first seven months of the year, double that of last year, according to GSO.
Ninety-one people were killed or reported missing due to adverse weather during that period, it said.
P.Stevenson--AMWN