Typhoon Bualoi: Death toll in Vietnam rises to 19 amid heavy rains, dozens still missing; evacuation under way

Lingering heavy rains from Typhoon Bualoi have triggered widespread flooding and landslides in Vietnam, raising the country’s death toll to 19, with at least 13 others still missing, authorities said Tuesday.

According to the national weather agency, some regions received more than 30 centimetres (nearly a foot) of rain in the past 24 hours, and downpours are expected to continue. The prolonged rainfall has inundated homes, cut off roads, and isolated communities stretching from the northern mountain provinces of Son La and Lao Cai to central Nghe An province.

The Thao River in Yen Bai province rose well above emergency levels overnight, flooding homes with water up to a meter deep and forcing hundreds of evacuations. In Hanoi, many streets were under water, and residents near the Red River were warned to take extra precautions.

Meanwhile, Vietnam had planed to evacuate more than 250,000 residents from coastal areas on Sunday ahead of the arrival of Typhoon Bualoi, which is expected to lash the country's steel-producing central belt.

State media reported that eight fishermen are among those still missing as rescue teams press on with search operations. The storm, which made landfall in Vietnam early Monday before stalling inland, has worsened conditions in already flood-prone areas. Bualoi had earlier killed at least 27 people in the Philippines, where it battered central islands, uprooted trees, downed power lines, and forced mass evacuations.
A trail of destruction

Vietnamese authorities said thousands of houses have been damaged or submerged, particularly in Ha Tinh and Nghe An provinces. More than 44,000 homes lost roofs in central Vietnam, while nearly 6,000 hectares of crops were inundated. At least 53,000 people were moved into emergency shelters, and four airports were shut down as the storm passed through.

“The wind blew my roof to the sky and then it fell down, breaking everything. I had to cover my head and rushed to my neighbour’s house to be safe,” said Trinh Thi Le, 71, in Quang Tri province, in comments to state-run Tuoi Tre newspaper.

In Ninh Binh province, a typhoon-related whirlwind killed nine people on Monday, while additional fatalities were reported in Hue and Thanh Hoa provinces. Police said nine fishermen remain unaccounted for after their vessels were lost at sea when violent winds broke moorings.

Climate concerns

Scientists warn that climate change is intensifying storms in the region. “Global warming is making storms like these stronger and wetter,” experts note, pointing to warmer oceans that fuel heavier rainfall and stronger winds. Vietnam, which endures an average of 20 storms and typhoons annually, remains one of Asia’s most disaster-prone countries.

This year alone, 175 people have been killed or remain missing due to natural disasters in Vietnam between January and August, with damages estimated at $371 million, nearly triple last year’s figure for the same period, according to the General Statistics Office.

Typhoon Yagi, which struck in September 2024, killed hundreds of people in Vietnam and caused $3.3 billion in economic losses.

Preparedness and recovery

The Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment confirmed that more than 180 flights were cancelled or delayed as Bualoi swept across northern and central Vietnam. Power outages left hundreds of thousands of households in darkness, and schools in Ha Tinh, Nghe An, and Quang Tri provinces were shut.

Authorities ordered mass evacuations in Da Nang and Hue provinces, relocating over 240,000 residents to safer ground. Fishing boats were grounded, and naval units were dispatched to rescue stranded crews.

Experts warned that the storm’s lingering presence increased the risk of further floods and landslides, particularly in mountainous areas. “The storm is likely to move slowly, bringing longer periods of wind and rain and raising risks of damage and flooding,” said Dr. Hoang Phuc Lam, deputy director of the National Center for Hydro-Meteorological Forecasting.

Regional impact

Typhoon Bualoi’s impact has been severe across Southeast Asia. In the Philippines, at least 27 deaths were confirmed, many from drowning or falling debris, and more than 400,000 people were evacuated. The storm struck only days after Super Typhoon Ragasa killed at least 14 people in the northern Philippines.

The Philippines and Vietnam are among the world’s most vulnerable countries to tropical storms, with millions of people living in coastal and low-lying areas at risk.

As floodwaters continue to rise in Vietnam, rescue operations are underway in several provinces, with authorities warning that the full scale of casualties and damage may only become clear in the coming days.