November 5, 2008 - 4:00PM

The death toll from a week of flooding across large sections of Vietnam
rose to 92 on Wednesday as life returned to normal in the capital, with
flood waters receding and residents cleaning up their homes.

Another seven bodies were found in northern Vietnam, including two more
in the capital, bringing the death toll in Hanoi to 22 and the overall
toll to 92, authorities said.

Weather forecasters said the rains in Hanoi were the worst in 35 years.

At the height of the flooding, more than 100 Hanoi neighbourhoods were
under at least 30cm of water, but by Wednesday only five neighbourhoods
were submerged, said Nguyen Anh Tu of the city's drainage company.

"Our main pump station is running 24 hours a day, pumping four million
cubic metres of excess water a day," he said. "We hope the water will
recede completely from metropolitan Hanoi in the next two days."

Only scattered showers were predicted in Hanoi for the next few days,
forecasters said.

Hanoi residents, meanwhile, continued cleaning homes covered with a mix
of mud, debris and garbage washed in by the floods.

Nguyen Van Hai, 34, and his family of three moved back home on Wednesday
after spending five days with his in-laws. He had taken the day off to
clean his house.

"Our first floor is covered with 10cm of mud," he said. "It's so smelly."

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