Floods catch Vietnam highlands residents off guard

Ly recounted that the water began rising towards the front door around 4 p.m. on Monday. Within an hour, the water had flooded up to the second floor, where she and her children sought refuge. She quickly called her sister-in-law in another part of the province to request that a distress message be posted, but soon after, the phone signal was lost.

From the second-floor balcony, Ly saw her parents’ wooden house and her grocery store, which were just a few hundred meters away, swept away by the floodwaters.

Around her home, floodwaters surged, and many people were seen sitting on rooftops waiting for rescue. Their cries for help could be heard throughout the area. Fortunately, Ly’s parents had been evacuated to safety before the flood hit.

By 8 p.m., as the water began to recede, local authorities rescued Ly from the second-floor window and transported her to safety.

"Everything is lost, and now I don’t know how to make a living to support my children," she said.

Hao's home affected by floods in Viet Hong commune, Lao Cai province, Sept. 29, 2025. Photo courtesy of Hao

A few kilometers away, 57-year-old Hoang Thi Hanh and her family experienced a similar life-threatening situation when floodwaters poured into their home. Hanh’s house, located on the side of a hill, began to flood when heavy rain started. She, her husband, son, daughter-in-law, and three grandchildren moved to the second floor.

About half an hour later, the water reached halfway up the second floor. Hanh’s son, Nam, decided to break through the roof and climb up to the top of the house. The elderly and children were terrified as they watched furniture and livestock swept away by the fast-moving water.

With the power out, the family had only one phone left with battery—Hanh’s. She called her daughter, who lived about 10 kilometers away, to ask for help.

"I’ve never seen anything like this in my life," Hanh shared.

By around 9 p.m., the family made their way to higher ground in the hill, finding temporary refuge in another house. By 11 p.m., the water began to recede, and they were provided with bread and drinking water by rescue teams. Hanh’s son waded through the water up to his chest to collect the supplies.

Also with Hanh’s family was Nam, a local security officer involved in storm preparedness. As the floodwaters continued to rise, he was unable to return home, even though his house was less than 100 meters away.

Nam’s wife Thanh Hao, 32, described the moment the floodwaters rushed into their yard and home. Alone with her three children, she could only grab her one-month-old baby and rushed her two older children to the second floor. She had forgotten her diaper bag on the first floor, but could not go back to retrieve it as the water rose.

"When we reached the second floor, the water had already flooded halfway up the first floor," Hao said.

By the end of the day, Hao and her children were given bread, noodles, and a bag of diapers. By Tuesday morning, the water had receded from their home, but the first floor was covered in mud, with broken windows and submerged furniture.

Nguyen Tien Chien, chairman of the Viet Hong Commune People’s Committee, reported that heavy rain started around Monday afternoon. Initial statistics showed that 95 houses in the commune suffered severe damage, with four homes affected by landslides and 91 houses submerged by floodwaters, causing significant losses of property, livestock, and poultry. The full extent of the damage is still being assessed, and the losses are expected to rise, Chien added.

Chiển explained that the floodwaters rose unexpectedly and rapidly. Once authorities received word of the flood, evacuations began immediately. However, many residents who sought refuge in higher areas were still affected by the flood and had to climb onto their rooftops.

"The elderly have said that in the past 60 years, they’ve never seen floodwaters rise so quickly and unexpectedly," he added.

Hoang Anh Tham, commander of Viet Hong commune’s military command, stated that the floodwaters rose so quickly that only evacuation could be carried out, while saving property and livestock was not feasible.

"Around 4 p.m., the water had risen by about one meter in just half an hour, and within an hour, it had reached three meters," he said.

Since Monday evening, heavy rainfall and the release of water from the Dong Sung hydropower dam, with a flow rate of 2,600 m³/s, caused the Thao River in the province to rise quickly. Water from the river reached the lower parts of the province, causing widespread flooding.

By 1 a.m. on Tuesday, the Thao River had risen to 33.68 meters, 1.68 meters higher than the third warning level, and by 7 a.m., it exceeded the third warning level by 2.7 meters.

Cao Bang province was also affected by the rising levels of the Bang Giang and Hien Rivers, flooding neighborhoods and villages. Locals had to move to higher ground, with some major roads being cut off.

Roads in Tuyen Quang province cut off by floods on Sept. 30, 2025. Photo by Luu Minh Phung

In the wake of Storm Bualoi’s influence, heavy rains continued in many areas. In the last hours, recorded rainfall included 125 mm in Cao Bang, 133 mm in Tuyen Quang province, 161 mm in Lao Cai, and 118 mm in Phu Tho.

By midday on Tuesday, Mai Van Khiem, Director of the National Center for Hydrometeorological Forecasting, stated that based on rainfall data, forecasts, and soil moisture, the agency had issued the highest-level disaster risk warning (level 3) for Lao Cai, Phu Tho, Cao Bang, and Tuyen Quang, and a level 2 warning for Thai Nguyen.

 

 

Floods catch Vietnam highlands residents off guard

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