Flooding kills three as heavy rains lash northern Vietnam

(Bloomberg) — Heavy rains triggered floods and landslides in northern Vietnam, killing three people and damaging thousands of homes as well as more than 22,000 hectares of crops.

The northern region has experienced downpours since September 14, with some areas receiving as much as 653 millimeters of rain, according to a statement on the government’s website. More than 16,000 houses were flooded, while rice and other crops were damaged.

National and provincial roads were affected by 11 landslides and flooding in 30 places, causing traffic restrictions. The Hanoi-Ho Chi Minh City railway was flooded to a depth of about one meter. Several train services on the North-South Railway were suspended on Thursday and Friday.

In the northern coastal province of Thanh Hoa, more than 29,000 officials and soldiers were mobilized for emergency relief.

Some Hanoi schools switched to online classes or gave students the day off Thursday as streets inundated with up to one meter of floodwater caused a lockdown in the center of the capital, state media reported. More heavy rain is expected from Thanh Hoa province to Hue city over the weekend, with over 100 millimeters of flooding predicted in some areas.

Vietnam’s long coastline makes it vulnerable to storms blowing in from the South China Sea, while climate change and deforestation have increased the country’s potential for serious damage. Up to five more storms are expected off the coast for the rest of the year, with one or two possibly crossing the Vietnamese mainland.

Natural disasters killed or left 63 people missing in Vietnam in 2026, causing total losses of around 2.2 trillion dong ($84.6 million). Financial losses are down 84.9% compared to the same period last year, when the country was hit by strong typhoons and floods, according to a separate government statement.

Meanwhile, El Nino is expected to reduce rainfall in central and southern Vietnam by 10 to 50% later this year, potentially affecting around 350,000 hectares of rice in the Mekong Delta. Severe water shortages are also predicted in the central highlands, the country’s largest coffee-growing region.

More such stories are available at bloomberg.com