Flooding kills three people as heavy rain hits northern Vietnam
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The northern region has experienced downpours since Sept 14, with some areas receiving as much as 653mm of rain.
PHOTO: AFP
- Heavy rains in northern Vietnam caused flooding and landslides, killing three people and damaging over 16,000 homes and 22,000 hectares of crops.
- Transport was disrupted by flooding and landslides, with train services suspended and emergency forces mobilised for rescue and relief efforts.
- Vietnam faces ongoing risks from storms and climate change, with significant financial losses in 2026 and forecasted impacts from El Nino on agriculture and water supply.
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HANOI – Heavy rain triggered flooding and landslides across northern Vietnam, killing three people and damaging thousands of homes as well as more than 22,000ha of crops.
The northern region has experienced downpours since Sept 14, with some areas receiving as much as 653mm of rain, according to a statement on the government’s website.
More than 16,000 houses have been inundated while rice and other crops have been damaged.
National and provincial roads have been affected by 11 landslides and flooding in 30 locations, causing traffic snarls.
The Hanoi-Ho Chi Minh City railway was flooded to a depth of about 1m. Several train services on the north-south railway were suspended on Sept 17 and Sept 18.
In the northern coastal province of Thanh Hoa, more than 29,000 officials and soldiers were mobilised for emergency assistance.
Some Hanoi schools switched to online classes or gave students the day off on Sept 17 as streets inundated with as much as 1m of flood waters caused a gridlock in the centre of the capital city, state media reported.
More heavy rain is expected from Thanh Hoa province to the city of Hue through the weekend, with some areas forecast to receive a deluge of more than 100mm.
Vietnam’s long coastline makes it vulnerable to storms roaring in from the South China Sea, while climate change and deforestation have increased the country’s potential for severe damage.
As many as five more storms are expected off the coast in the rest of the year, with one or two possibly sweeping over the mainland.
Natural disasters have killed or left 63 people missing in Vietnam in 2026, causing total losses of around 2.2 trillion dong (S$108 million).
However, financial losses are down 84.9 per cent from the same period in 2025 when the country was hit by severe typhoons and flooding, according to a separate government statement.
Meanwhile, the warming El Nino phenomenon is expected to reduce rainfall in central and southern Vietnam by 10 per cent to 50 per cent later in 2026, potentially affecting around 350,000ha of rice fields in the Mekong Delta.
Severe water shortages are also forecast in the central highlands, the country’s largest coffee-growing region. BLOOMBERG