Hanoi, Vietnam – November 21, 2025 – Torrential rains and severe flooding have killed 41 people across central Vietnam this week, with nine others still missing, according to the latest official update from the Department of Dyke Management and Natural Disaster Prevention under the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development. The disaster, which escalated rapidly from November 16 onward, has submerged more than 52,000 homes, destroyed thousands of hectares of farmland and crops, and triggered over 140 landslides, leaving entire communities isolated and critical infrastructure heavily damaged.
The hardest-hit provinces were Dak Lak in the Central Highlands, which recorded 16 deaths, and coastal Khanh Hoa Province with 14 fatalities. Other provinces reporting deaths include Lam Dong (4), Gia Lai (3), and two each in Thua Thien-Hue and Da Nang City. Many of the victims lost their lives to landslides, flash floods, and drowning as rivers burst their banks after receiving rainfall totals exceeding 1,500 mm in just three days in some locations.
Eyewitnesses described terrifying scenes as floodwaters rose overnight. In Khanh Hoa’s Cam Lam District, families were forced onto rooftops, posting desperate pleas for rescue on social media while clinging to corrugated metal sheets under relentless rain. In Dak Lak, the Ba River surged 2.3 meters above the highest alarm level, surpassing the historic 1993 peak by more than a meter and submerging homes up to their second floors. Rescue teams have used boats and, in some cases, broken through roofs with axes to reach trapped residents. More than 61,800 people from over 18,800 households have been evacuated to safer ground, though many remote villages remain cut off.
Agriculture, the backbone of the region’s economy, has suffered catastrophic losses. Thousands of hectares of rice, coffee, pepper, and other perennial crops are underwater or buried under silt. Hundreds of cattle and nearly 5,000 poultry have perished. Coffee farmers in Dak Lak and Lam Dong, already struggling with low global prices, now face the prospect of starting the next season with virtually nothing.
Power outages affected more than 1 million customers at the peak of the crisis, primarily in Dak Lak, Khanh Hoa, and Gia Lai. Electricity has since been restored to approximately 600,000 households, but many rural areas remain in darkness. Tuy Hoa Airport in Dak Lak was forced to close for most of November 20 after floodwater flooded the runway and damaged electrical systems. National highways and provincial roads have been blocked by more than 140 landslides, with key routes such as Highway 27C (the Khanh Le Pass) still impassable after a deadly landslide buried a passenger bus, killing six people. Railway services in central Vietnam have also been suspended due to track washouts.
The government has mobilized thousands of soldiers, police officers, border guards, and local militia members for search-and-rescue and relief operations. Military helicopters have been deployed to deliver food and medicine to isolated mountainous communes. Deputy Prime Minister Ho Quoc Dung visited the worst-affected areas on November 20, instructing provincial leaders to prioritize saving lives and to leave no one behind. Dak Lak Province has requested 2,000 tons of rice and emergency medical supplies from national reserves, while Lam Dong has asked for nearly 600 billion VND (approximately US$22.7 million) to repair roads and support affected families.
Meteorologists warn that the danger is not over. Additional heavy rain of 70–150 mm, with some places receiving over 200 mm, is forecast through November 22 across Da Nang, northern Khanh Hoa, and parts of the Central Highlands. Rivers in several provinces remain above alarm level 3, and the risk of further flash floods and landslides is extremely high.
This week’s tragedy is the latest chapter in what has been an exceptionally destructive 2025 typhoon and flood season for Vietnam. The country has already been struck by 12 tropical storms and typhoons this year—well above the annual average—resulting in more than 85 deaths nationwide before this latest event.
As rescue operations continue and the first waves of humanitarian aid reach devastated communities, the people of central Vietnam are once again demonstrating extraordinary resilience in the face of nature’s fury. However, the scale of destruction has renewed urgent calls for stronger early-warning systems, improved landslide prevention, and long-term climate adaptation measures in one of Southeast Asia’s most disaster-prone regions.
