By The Straits Times | Created at 2026-09-18 04:26:41 | Updated at 2026-09-18 11:26:42
7 hours ago
HANOI – Heavy rains 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 of 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 tie-ups.
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 floodwaters caused gridlocked 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 over 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 the rest of the year, with one or two possibly sweeping over Vietnam’s mainland.
Natural disasters have killed or left 63 people missing in Vietnam in 2026, causing total losses of around 2.2 trillion dong (S$107.91 million).
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 separate government statement.
Meanwhile, El Nino is expected to reduce rainfall in central and southern Vietnam by 10 per cent to 50 per cent later in 2026, potentially affecting around 350,000 hectares of rice in the Mekong Delta.
Severe water shortages are also forecast in the central highlands, the country’s largest coffee growing region. BLOOMBERG
