The death toll from severe flooding in Vietnam has surged to 90, with 12 individuals still unaccounted for following days of relentless rain and landslides. The crisis has unfolded across several provinces in south-central Vietnam since late October, particularly impacting popular tourist destinations such as Nha Trang and Da Lat.
In Dak Lak province, one of the hardest-hit areas, 61-year-old farmer Mach Van Si recounted his harrowing experience of being stranded on the rooftop of his home for two nights along with his wife. “Our neighbourhood was completely destroyed. Nothing was left. Everything was covered in mud,” Si said. He expressed a sense of hopelessness during the ordeal, stating, “I just thought we were going to die because there was no way out.”
As of Sunday, November 19, the Environment Ministry reported that more than 60 fatalities had occurred since November 16, primarily in Dak Lak, where tens of thousands of homes have been inundated. Four communes in the province remain flooded, with significant agricultural damage reported. Over 80,000 hectares of rice and other crops have been affected, and an estimated 3.2 million livestock and poultry have either perished or been swept away by floodwaters.
Rescue efforts are underway, with authorities deploying helicopters to deliver aid to isolated communities. The government has mobilized tens of thousands of personnel to distribute essential supplies, including clothing, water-purification tablets, and instant noodles, according to state outlet Tuoi Tre News.
Significant infrastructure damage has also occurred, with severe flooding in Khanh Hoa province resulting in the destruction of two suspension bridges, leaving numerous households cut off. Several national highways remain blocked due to flooding and landslides, and some railway services are still suspended.
The impact on basic services has been severe, with over 129,000 customers reported without electricity after more than a million experienced outages last week. The Environment Ministry has estimated economic losses from the flooding to be around 343 million USD across five affected provinces.
Natural disasters in Vietnam have taken a heavy toll this year, with 279 people dead or missing and damages exceeding 2 billion USD from January to October, according to the national statistics office. As the search and rescue efforts continue, the urgency to provide relief to those affected remains critical.
