Vietnam flood misery worsens

The south of the country has been badly affected

By Owen Bennett Jones in Hanoi

Heavy rains in many parts of Vietnam are compounding floods which are now affecting central and southern parts of the country.

Water levels in the Mekong Delta are increasing once again.

It is believed that more than 350 people have died as a result of the floods in southern Vietnam, the majority of them children who have drowned.

The new threat is a serious concern for hundreds of thousands of people who have already been stranded on sodden, muddy dykes for several weeks.

The more rain that comes, the longer they will have to wait before they can get back to their homes.

Supplies

Relief workers are trying to provide them with basic supplies, such as food and clean water.

Wooden boats are being distributed so that families can go fishing and try to provide for themselves.

A large bucket being used as transport in Cao Lanh

The situation is also serious in central Vietnam, where torrential rains have killed at least 12 people in the last five days.

Two children were drowned when their boat overturned on its way to school.

Another schoolgirl died when a bridge she was walking on was swept away.

The Red Cross has warned that the ground in central Vietnam is totally saturated and that if any more heavy rain falls it will lead to immediate widespread flooding.

The north of Vietnam has not escaped the country's wave of natural disasters. Earlier this month a flash flood there killed 39 people when a landslide hit a remote village.