At least ninety people have died in Vietnam after days of intense rainfall set off flooding and landslides across several southern and central provinces, according to government officials on Sunday. Twelve more remain missing as rescue teams continue to search isolated communities.
The flooding, which followed some of the heaviest rain recorded in the country in more than three decades, has caused massive damage to homes, farmland and transport links. Authorities say the scale of the destruction marks one of Vietnam’s worst weather disasters this year.
More than one hundred and eighty six thousand homes have been damaged nationwide and over three million livestock were swept away, the government reported. Officials estimate the overall financial cost to be in the hundreds of millions of pounds.
Dak Lak, a mountainous province in the Central Highlands, has recorded more than sixty deaths since 16 November, according to figures shared with AFP. Entire villages were engulfed by mudslides and rising water.
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Mach Van Si, a farmer in Dak Lak, told AFP that his village had been wiped out. He said the neighbourhood was completely destroyed and that everything was covered in mud.
Five provinces in the south and south central region have seen the worst impact. These include Quang Ngai, Gia Lai, Dak Lak, Khanh Hoa and Lam Dong. Military and police personnel have been deployed to reach cut off districts and assist families who lost their homes.
Authorities said more than two hundred and fifty eight thousand people were without electricity on Sunday morning. Key motorways and long stretches of railway lines remained blocked by debris and floodwater, leaving some towns temporarily unreachable.
The government noted that rainfall had exceeded one point five metres in several provinces between Monday and Friday. Some areas reported a water level above five point two metres, which officials said was the highest since 1993.
Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh chaired an emergency meeting remotely from South Africa, where he had been attending the G20 summit. During the briefing, officials outlined priority needs, including shelter, clean water and safe passage to hospitals.
Forecasters expect rainfall to ease in the coming days, allowing cleanup and repair work to begin.
Vietnam faces increasing exposure to extreme weather. Scientists quoted by Reuters and the BBC say warmer seas and shifting rainfall patterns have made storms stronger and more frequent. The latest floods follow two typhoons, Kalmaegi and Bualoi, which hit parts of the country only weeks apart earlier this year.
As conditions settle, national agencies are preparing for a lengthy recovery effort, while local authorities continue monitoring unstable hillsides that could trigger further landslides.
