Devastating Vietnam Floods Kill 90: Crisis Intensifies as Thousands Remain Stranded and Economic Losses Mount

Vietnam:

Devastating floods and landslides across Vietnam have claimed at least 90 lives within the past week, according to authorities on Sunday. The catastrophe has left numerous residents stranded on rooftops and blocked mountain highways throughout affected regions.

Persistent rainfall has battered south-central Vietnam since late October, with popular tourist destinations experiencing multiple flooding events. Economic damages are currently estimated to reach hundreds of millions of dollars.

The coastal city of Nha Trang experienced widespread inundation last week, while deadly landslides occurred in highland passes surrounding the tourist destination of Da Lat.

In severely affected Dak Lak province, 61-year-old farmer Mach Van Si recounted how floodwaters forced him and his wife to seek refuge on their sheet-metal rooftop for two consecutive nights.

"Our neighborhood was completely destroyed. Nothing was left. Everything was covered in mud," he told AFP on Sunday.

By the time they ascended to their roof, Si admitted he had moved beyond fear: "I just thought we were going to die because there was no way out."

Of the 90 fatalities recorded since November 16, more than 60 occurred in Dak Lak province, where tens of thousands of homes were submerged, according to the environment ministry statement.

'Big Soggy Mess'

At Tuy Hoa market in the province, floodwaters have receded, but vendor Vo Huu Du, 40, described her merchandise of hats, bags, and shoes as still soaked or mud-covered.

"My goods look like one big soggy mess," she told AFP. "I don't even know where to start."

She and fellow vendors previously considered raising merchandise five centimeters off the ground sufficient protection from flooding—a practice now rendered inadequate.

"All these years, the highest water level back in 1993 only reached our ankles," said Du. "But now the water has come in over one metre high."

"All the vendors are devastated, not just me," she added.

Nguyen Van Thoai, a 60-year-old ceramics seller, pointed to damaged inventory that needed clearing from pathways between stalls, describing it as "a real loss."

"I don't even know where to put all this market stock," he lamented. "We might need to clean it for a month and still won't be done."

More than 80,000 hectares of rice and other crops across Dak Lak and four additional provinces sustained damage during the past week. Over 3.2 million livestock or poultry were killed or swept away by floodwaters.

Authorities have deployed helicopters for aid airdrops to isolated communities cut off by flooding and landslides. The government has mobilized tens of thousands of personnel to deliver essential supplies including clothing, water-purification tablets, and instant noodles to affected areas, according to state media Tuoi Tre News.

As of Sunday, several sections of national highways remained impassable due to flooding or landslides, the environment ministry reported, with some railway segments still suspended.

The ministry has estimated economic losses at $343 million across five provinces affected by flooding.

Between January and October, natural disasters have caused 279 deaths or disappearances in Vietnam and resulted in over $2 billion in damages, according to the national statistics office.

While the Southeast Asian nation typically experiences heavy rainfall between June and September, scientists have identified patterns of human-driven climate change that are making extreme weather events more frequent and destructive.