9 killed amid floods, landslides in Vietnam

A tropical depression barreled down Thua Thien-Hue on September 26, causing rains also to nearby provinces like Quang Tri, Quang Binh, Ha Tinh, Nghe An and Thanh Hoa. By September 28, the rains had expanded to the plains and certain mountainous areas of northern Vietnam.

By September 30, nine people in Thanh Hoa, Son La, Quang Tri, Hoa Binh, Phu Tho and Nghe An had been confirmed dead amid floods and landslides, according to the National Steering Center for Natural Disaster Prevention. One in Son La and another in Binh Phuoc were swept away by floods and rendered missing. 10 people in Thua Thien-Hue and Nghe An were injured.

Rains and floods have also damaged over 44,000 ha of rice and crops, mostly in Ha Nam, Nam Dinh, Thai Binh, Nghe An and Thanh Hoa provinces. Over 240 spots were eroded, with 31,000 m3 of rubble collapsing. Traffic has since resumed normally in these areas.

The National Center for Hydro-Meteorological Forecasting on Saturday said northern Vietnam would see rains being locally contained. The Central Highlands and southern Vietnam regions would see heavy rains in certain places. Until Sunday, the southern parts of central Vietnam, the Central Highlands and southern Vietnam would see rain mostly at dusk.

Vietnam's average temperature in October is expected to be 0.5-1 degrees Celsius higher than previous years. Around one or two more storms and tropical depressions may make an appearance in the South China Sea and could impact Vietnam.