Deadly Floods and Landslides Ravage Southeast Asia as Rains Continue; Vietnam Confirms 91 Dead

Heavy seasonal rains have unleashed widespread flooding and deadly landslides across parts of Southeast Asia, leaving communities displaced, crops submerged and infrastructure damaged.

Vietnam: Authorities say the confirmed death toll from a week of intense rainfall has risen to 91, with 11 people still missing. The downpours and subsequent landslides struck roughly an 800-kilometer (500-mile) stretch of the central region from Quang Tri to Lam Dong provinces, including highland areas.

Dak Lak province has been the hardest hit, reporting 63 fatalities, most from drowning. Additional deaths were reported in Khanh Hoa, Lam Dong, Gia Lai, Da Nang and Thua Thien-Hue (Hue) provinces. With roads washed away or blocked, helicopters have been used to deliver food and emergency supplies and to assist evacuations from isolated communities.

“We've never experienced that much rain and such bad flooding,”

said 45-year-old Pham Thu Huyen, one of hundreds of residents and visitors who spent a weekend clearing debris from Nha Trang's shoreline, a popular tourist city in Khanh Hoa province known for its beaches.

The floods inundated agricultural areas, submerging coffee plantations in Dak Lak — Vietnam's major coffee-producing region. Authorities estimate damage from this most recent round of floods at about $500 million. Although waters have begun to recede in some places, the national weather service warned that steady rain will continue in parts of the country and that a new tropical depression is forming that could bring more severe weather later in the week.

Vietnam is among the world's most flood-prone nations, with nearly half its population living in high-risk areas. Scientists warn a warming climate is intensifying storms and rainfall across Southeast Asia, making floods and landslides more frequent and destructive. The recent destruction compounds losses from earlier this month when record rainfall and Typhoon Kalmaegi triggered extensive flooding. The International Organization for Migration said South Korea will provide $1 million to help with relief for displaced people and affected communities. United Nations preliminary data indicates economic losses of about $1.2 billion from these events, with more than half a million homes damaged and hundreds of thousands evacuated.

Thailand: Torrential rain in southern Thailand produced severe flash floods over the weekend, affecting nearly 2 million people. Regional officials reported five deaths and four injuries across six southern provinces. Ten southern provinces recorded heavy rainfall over the past week; authorities warned that water levels could rise further as rain was forecast to continue.

Hat Yai, a major commercial center in Songkhla province, recorded 335 millimeters (more than 13 inches) of rain in 24 hours — the highest single-day total there in 300 years, officials said. From Wednesday through Friday the city received 630 millimeters (nearly 25 inches), which hampered evacuation efforts as many residents and tourists were trapped and emergency teams used lifeboats to move people along flooded streets.

Earlier in the year, Thailand also experienced widespread flooding in the north and prolonged inundation in central plains that killed more than two dozen people and caused extensive damage to farmland and homes.

Malaysia: Several states in Malaysia are grappling with floodwaters that are expected to worsen as persistent heavy rain continues. The Social Welfare Department reported more than 12,500 people evacuated across nine states. The northeastern state of Kelantan remains the worst-affected area, with authorities opening 86 temporary shelters and warning of further rainfall. Flooding is common in parts of Malaysia during the annual monsoon season, which typically begins in November and can last until March.

Relief operations continue across the region as governments and aid groups work to reach stranded communities, assess damage and prepare for the possibility of additional severe weather in the days ahead.