Central Vietnam Floods: Death Toll Hits 43, Tens of Thousands of Homes Submerged

HANOI, VIETNAM — Central Vietnam is reeling from a catastrophic wave of flooding and landslides, with the official death toll rising to 43 people and nine others still missing, authorities reported Friday. The deluge, which began last weekend, has intensified a months-long crisis caused by earlier extreme weather events, including Typhoons Kalmaegi and Bualoi.

The relentless rainfall has surpassed 1.5 metres (5 feet) in several areas over the last three days, pushing water levels beyond the historic 1993 flood peak of 5.2 metres in some regions.

The scale of the destruction is staggering, with government estimates placing the preliminary economic damage at over $120 million (VND3 trillion) for this latest deluge alone. Overall natural disaster damage for the year already exceeds $2 billion.

The coastal cities of Hoi An and Nha Trang are among the worst-hit by the recent rains and flooding

The flooding has completely destroyed 168 houses and inundated over 67,700 others, forcing the urgent evacuation and relocation of nearly 72,000 people.

Dak Lak Province, the country’s biggest coffee growing region, bore the brunt of the residential damage with over 40,000 homes submerged.

Coastal cities and major tourist hubs like Hoi An and Nha Trang saw entire blocks inundated, with residents trapped on rooftops and hundreds of vehicles submerged.

Infrastructure has collapsed under the weight of the water. The Mimosa Pass, a key entry route into the popular tourist city of Da Lat, suffered a major landslide that completely halted traffic after part of the road collapsed into a ravine.

Extreme weather has battered Vietnam in recent months

The flooding is also threatening Vietnam’s vital agricultural sector. Dak Lak, which produces much of the world’s robusta coffee, is struggling with submerged farms and delayed harvests. Farmers, already reeling from previous storms, warn that continued rainfall risks damaging the beans and causing root rot, potentially crimping the output of the world’s top robusta exporter.

Tens of thousands of livestock and over 13,000 hectares of crops have been destroyed, compounding the agricultural losses.

In response to the declared state of emergency, military troops and police officers, totalling nearly 64,000 personnel, have been deployed across the flood-affected provinces, including Dak Lak, Khanh Hoa, and Gia Lai. They are working to set up emergency shelters and use boats to rescue stranded residents, with authorities warning that the extreme weather conditions are forecast to last through at least Sunday.