Record-breaking rains and flash floods in central Vietnam have killed at least 35 people and left five missing, officials said on Sunday, as authorities struggle to respond to one of the region’s worst deluges in decades.
Torrential rain has battered Vietnam’s coastal provinces since last weekend, dumping up to 1.7 meters of rain in just 24 hours — the heaviest downpour ever recorded in the region, according to the Vietnam Disaster and Dyke Management Authority (VDDMA).
The fatalities were reported in Hue, Da Nang, Lam Dong, and Quang Tri provinces, where floodwaters have submerged homes, roads, and farmlands.
In Hoi An, a UNESCO World Heritage site, floodwaters rose to waist level, forcing residents to navigate the ancient town by wooden boats. 
“Everyone is in shock after the flood,” said local resident Chuong Nguyen, 43. “People were preparing, but they didn’t expect the water to rise so high.”
100,000 homes flooded
The VDDMA said more than 16,500 houses remain underwater, over 40,000 livestock and poultry have been swept away, and more than 5,300 hectares of cropland are submerged.
Vietnam’s environment ministry said earlier this week that over 100,000 homes had been flooded and 150 landslides had been reported across multiple provinces.
Experts warn that human-driven climate change is intensifying extreme weather, making storms and floods in Southeast Asia more deadly and destructive.
Located in one of the world’s most active tropical cyclone zones, Vietnam typically experiences around ten typhoons or tropical storms each year — but has already recorded 12 in 2025.
 
Natural disasters, mostly floods, storms, and landslides, have killed or left missing 187 people in Vietnam during the first nine months of the year, causing more than $610 million in economic losses, government figures show.
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Source: TRT