Heavy rain and floods affecting central provinces since October 22 have resulted in at least ten confirmed deaths and five people missing, according to local authorities during an online meeting with Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh on October 29.
People travel on a flooded road in Hue City on October 28.
In Danang, Chairman of the city People’s Committee Pham Duc An reported six fatalities and four missing persons. In addition, 19 people were injured, nearly 60 houses damaged, and numerous crops and livestock losses recorded.
A total of 29 communes in the lower Vu Gia-Thu Bon river basin are submerged under 0.5-1.5 metres of floodwater, while ten mountainous communes are isolated due to landslides and flash floods. Police and military units have been mobilised to assist in rescue operations.
In Hue, flooding has killed one person and left a five-year-old girl missing in Thuy Xuan ward. With the Huong and Bo rivers still at high levels, 32 out of 40 communes and wards remain submerged under 1-2 metres of water.
In Quang Ngai Province, three fatalities were reported and more than 120 landslide points were identified along several national and provincial roads, including national routes 14C, 24B, 24C, 40B and 10 provincial roads.
The National Centre for Hydro-Meteorological Forecasting said on October 29 that from October 22 to 28, central localities experienced multiple extreme weather patterns, including strengthened cold air from the north and the impact of Typhoon Fengshen, which weakened into a tropical depression off the coast of Hue and Danang. This combination brought extremely heavy rain, especially in Hue and Danang.
Rainfall totals from October 22 to 4 am on October 29 ranged from 200-450mm in Ha Tinh, Quang Tri, and Quang Ngai; 450-900mm in Hue; and 300-600mm in Danang.
Bach Ma in Hue recorded nearly 1,740mm in a single day, the highest one-day total ever in Vietnam.
Responding to a request from city authorities in Hue for two tonnes of dry provisions and VND 500 billion (approximately USD 19 million) in infrastructure aid, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh approved immediate support of two tonnes of dry rations and VND 150 billion (approximately USD 5.7 million) for critical restoration efforts.
Rescue teams remain on high alert amid continued high river water levels and rainfall forecasts, as authorities emphasise the risk of further landslides, flash floods and property damage in the region.