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Floods and Landslides Kill Two as Vietnam Endures Record-Breaking Storm Season

12:28 AM, 12/06/2025
Floods and Landslides Kill Two as Vietnam Endures Record-Breaking Storm Season

Heavy rains and landslides in Vietnam have killed at least two people and triggered 16 landslides in Lam Dong province, with floodwaters reported up to two metres in Ham Thang commune. Officials say 2025 has produced a record 21 storms (15 typhoons), the highest count since 1961, and rivers have reached historic highs across multiple regions. Natural disasters this year have left more than 400 people dead or missing and caused an estimated $3.6 billion in damage, a pattern experts link to human-driven climate change.

Heavy Rains, Widespread Flooding and Multiple Landslides

Weeks of torrential rain have battered south-central Vietnam, submerging coastal tourist towns and triggering deadly landslides in mountainous districts. State media reported at least two people were killed and dozens of communities were hit by flooding and landslides on Thursday and Friday.

Lam Dong province was among the worst affected. Voice of Vietnam said heavy downpours inundated thousands of homes and that 16 separate landslides damaged roads and bridges, forcing the evacuation of hundreds of households. In Ham Thang commune, residents reported floodwaters up to two metres deep, and authorities delivered food and drinking water by boat.

“Our province has always been very safe from floods or typhoons. This year was so weird,” resident Pham Thi Ngoc Yen told AFP. “I hope that the water will recede a lot in the next two days so that our life can get back to normal.”

Record Number Of Storms In 2025

Officials described 2025 as an unprecedented year for natural hazards. Hoang Duc Cuong, deputy director of the Environment Ministry’s meteorology and hydrology department, said the country has experienced 21 storms so far this year — including 15 typhoons and six tropical depressions — the highest tally since records began in 1961. By comparison, a typical year sees roughly 10 storms or typhoons affecting Vietnam.

The heavy rain has produced extreme flooding across regions, with rivers reaching historic high-water marks from the north through central provinces down to the lower Mekong Delta. The Environment Ministry noted that exceptionally large floods occurred simultaneously on 20 rivers. In one part of central Vietnam authorities recorded up to 1,739 millimetres (5.7 feet) of rain in 24 hours.

Human and Economic Toll

Across Vietnam this year, natural disasters have left more than 400 people dead or missing and caused an estimated $3.6 billion in damage, according to the ministry. The floods are part of a wider pattern of severe weather across Asia: recent catastrophic floods in the region have killed more than 1,500 people and displaced hundreds of thousands in countries including Indonesia and Sri Lanka.

Vietnam is seasonally prone to heavy rains between June and September, but scientists and officials say the rising frequency and intensity of extreme events is consistent with human-driven climate change, which can make storms and rainfall more destructive.

Relief Efforts

Authorities continue evacuations, clear damaged roads and bridges, and deliver emergency supplies by boat where roads are impassable. Officials have urged communities in vulnerable areas to stay alert to further heavy rain and follow evacuation orders.

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