Flooding that has hit Vietnam's central coastal provinces early this month had killed 491 people, injured 166 others and left 76 missing by Monday evening, Vietnam News Agency reported on November 9.

According to latest reports by Vietnam's Central Committee for Flood and Storm Control, Thua Thien-Hue province was worst hit with 283 deaths, followed by Quang Nam, Quang Tri, Da Nang, Quang Ngai and Binh Dinh.

The floods have also left more than 630,600 families homeless, pulled down 417 classrooms, submerged nearly 4,420 classrooms, 510 hospitals or medical stations and 66,038 hectares of rice fields, killed a large number of cattle, and destroyed numerous roads and bridges. Losses were estimated at 2,850 billion Vietnamese dong (over 200 million US dollars).

As floodwater is receding, people in the flood-hit areas are beginning to repair houses, medical stations, schools, roads and bridges, and clean up the environment.

Local people's life and production are also beginning to return to normal.