At least nine people lost their lives and five others remained missing after record rainfall caused widespread flooding across central Vietnam, government officials said on Wednesday. The hardest hit locations included Da Nang and the historic town of Hoi An, both major tourist draws.
The scale of the flooding has been significant for a region already familiar with severe weather. More than 103,000 homes were swamped in Hue and Hoi An, and emergency crews worked through the night to reach those trapped by rapidly rising waters.
In Hue, rainfall reached a national record with 1,085 millimetres falling in a single day. Records go back many decades and the volume made this the heaviest twenty four hour downpour ever seen anywhere in Vietnam. Water in the Perfume River climbed to more than four and a half metres, pushing into streets and old imperial quarters normally packed with visitors.
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Hoi An also faced surging rivers. State media said about 40,000 tourists were evacuated to safe hotels by boat after hydroelectric dams released water and the Hoai River rose close to two metres. Hotel owner Nguyen Ngoc Anh said staff had little time to protect buildings. He explained that floodwater climbed so quickly they simply secured doors and moved guests as fast as possible.
Transport links suffered major disruption. The national railway halted trains between Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City after tracks were damaged by landslides and high water. Nineteen rail carriages filled with heavy stones were stationed on a threatened bridge to keep it from being carried away by flood currents.
Local officials said several communes in Thua Thien Hue province were cut off. Blue Dragon Childrens Foundation, an Australian organisation with programmes in the region, reported that about one thousand people in rural areas were isolated. Two hundred children supported by the charity were among those waiting for help.
Vietnam’s disaster management agency warned that low lying areas and neighbourhoods close to rivers still faced flash flooding and landslides. In Da Nang, reservoirs were already full while river levels continued to climb. Power lines and roads in some places collapsed under the strain of the weather.
Heavy rain was forecast to continue through Thursday. Some parts of the central belt could see more than 400 millimetres by late Thursday evening if conditions fail to improve.
Vietnam is often struck by storms during the June to October season and nearly half of its population lives in areas threatened by flooding. Researchers note that a warmer climate fuels wetter tropical storms in East Asia which means greater risks for communities across the country.
Response teams are now focused on rescuing remaining residents and visitors, stabilising riverbanks and restoring damaged infrastructure once water levels begin to fall. The full cost of the disaster will not be clear until the floodwaters recede.
