Sawt Falasteen - 'Scared': desperate Vietnamese flee flood-hit homes

She is one of thousands of people forced from their homes in the Vietnamese capital as the turbid brown waters of the swollen river rise to levels not seen in more than 15 years.

"I am scared that my house will be taken away by the river if the water level keeps rising," Hue told AFP, adding that she saw some cracks spreading across the floor.

"I'm worried and scared," she said.

Carrying televisions and other home appliances, Hue and her neighbours were among the last residents of communities living next to the fast-moving river to evacuate their houses.

A colossal deluge of rain brought by Yagi -- the most powerful typhoon to hit northern Vietnam in 30 years -- has swollen the Red River and its tributaries and triggered floods and landslides in more than a dozen provinces, killing at least 82 people.

In Hanoi, authorities said floods on the Red River had reached their highest levels since 2008.

"We have seen the water level rise by more than one metre (three feet) since Monday morning," said Hanoi resident Le Thanh Bon, who was planning to sleep at a guesthouse Tuesday night.

Bon said floods in 2008 had forced him onto his rooftop, waiting for rescue, and he was afraid the same would happen again.

"It's good that we evacuate. We are prepared," Bon told AFP.

- Fields submerged -

Hanoi authorities banned all vehicle and pedestrian traffic on Long Bien bridge across the Red River as the water level rose rapidly Tuesday.

Some schools told students to go home early, while several offices across the bridge asked their employees to work from home.

"My office allowed me to go back home early to move my stuff to safer ground," said Hoang Van Thanh.

"I can only hope we will not have to go through the floodings like we did in 2008," Thanh told AFP.

The 2008 floods, caused by heavy rains, left at least 82 people dead in Hanoi and north and central Vietnam and destroyed 250,000 hectares of crops.

Hundreds of people in Hue's neighbourhood were the first ones hit by the latest round of flooding on Monday night.

Houses, vegetable fields and gardens full of fruit trees were partially submerged.

Authorities hastily turned a primary school and a vacant residential block into an evacuation shelter for displaced people, though many chose to stay with relatives or friends in other parts of the city.

"The losses will be huge, but what can we do," Hien said.

K.Hassan--SF-PST