Hanoi – Major flooding, triggered by relentless heavy rain and landslides that have lashed south-central Vietnam since late October, has resulted in a soaring death toll, with the environment ministry confirming 90 fatalities and 12 people still missing.
The destructive impact has been felt across popular tourist destinations and mountainous regions alike. Coastal Nha Trang city was inundated last week, while the highlands around the Da Lat tourist hub were struck by deadly landslides.
Dak Lak Province Hardest Hit
The mountainous province of Dak Lak accounts for over 60 of the deaths recorded since November 16. Tens of thousands of homes were inundated in the province, with four communes remaining flooded as of today.
One local farmer, 61-year-old Mach Van Si, described the devastation, telling AFP that the floodwaters left him and his wife stranded on their rooftop for two nights. “Our neighbourhood was completely destroyed. Nothing was left. Everything was covered in mud,” he said.
Massive Agricultural Damage and Infrastructure Breakdown
The agricultural sector has suffered immense damage, with more than 80,000 hectares of rice and other crops destroyed across Dak Lak and four other provinces over the last week. Furthermore, more than 3.2 million livestock or poultry were killed or washed away by the floodwaters.
Transportation and infrastructure have also been severely impacted:
- Several locations on national highways remain blocked due to flooding or landslides. Ā
- Some railway sections are still suspended. Ā
- In Khanh Hoa province, two suspension bridges were washed away, isolating many households. Ā
- Over 129,000 customers were still without electricity, down from over a million last week.
Aid Efforts and Rising Economic Cost
The Vietnamese government has deployed tens of thousands of personnel to deliver aid to the affected regions. Authorities have used helicopters to airdrop suppliesāincluding clothing, water-purification tablets, instant noodles, and other essentialsāto communities cut off by the rising waters, according to state outlet Tuoi Tre News.
The environment ministry has estimated the total economic losses across five provinces due to the current floods at $343 million (ā¬297 million). This recent disaster adds to an already grim year, as natural disasters have left 279 people dead or missing and caused over $2 billion in damage between January and October.
While the Southeast Asian nation is prone to heavy rains between June and September, scientists have noted a pattern of human-driven climate change making extreme weather events more frequent and destructive.
