FCO advice on flooding in the Lao Cai and Yen Dai provinces

On 8 August 2008, northern Vietnam experienced severe flooding, particularly in the Lao Cai and Yen Dai provinces, resulting in approximately 100 Vietnamese fatalities. We currently advise against travel to these areas. The single railway track between Hanoi and the northern areas is out of action and the authorities have reported that it will be at least one week before normal service can be resumed. Landslides and flooding have also made parts of the main road inaccessible. Vietnamese authorities are predicting that the roads should be re-opened in the afternoon of Tuesday 12 August. We recommend that anyone currently in the affected regions should remain in the hotels until the Vietnamese authorities advise that it is safe to use the main roads.