10 dead, 5 missing as floods ravage central Vietnam

Da Nang chairman Pham Duc An reported six deaths and four missing residents in the city at a meeting on Wednesday morning. 19 other people were injured, 13 houses collapsed and 44 others were damaged. Nearly 38 hectares of rice fields and 234 hectares of vegetables were destroyed, while some 4,000 livestock and poultry died.

Infrastructure was also battered, with nearly two kilometers of road damaged, 63,000 cubic meters of soil and rock washed away, and a 20-meter section of the Ly Ly River embankment breached, isolating 48 households.

Floodwaters have submerged 29 communes and wards in the lower Vu Gia–Thu Bon River basin by up to 1.5 meters, while 10 mountainous communes remain cut off by landslides and flash floods. Police and military forces have been deployed for rescue efforts. The city has asked the central government for funding to repair damage and upgrade frequently isolated roads and bridges.

In Hue, one person drowned and their body was swept to Thuan An Beach, while a five-year-old girl in Thuy Xuan Ward was reported missing after falling into floodwaters.

With the Huong and Bo rivers still high, 32 of the city's 40 communes and wards remain submerged by one to two meters of water.

Quang Ngai Province reported three deaths.

The province has recorded more than 120 landslides along national highways 14C, 24B, 24C, 40B and 10 provincial roads, with nearly 12,000 cubic meters of debris. On Lo Xo Pass along the Ho Chi Minh Highway through Dak Plo and Dak Pek communes, landslides have yet to be cleared, trapping 37 vehicles and 50 people for over three days.

Rescue teams are exploring drone deliveries of food and supplies to isolated areas in Quang Ngai, Da Nang and Hue, but persistent heavy rain has delayed operations. Military Region 5 has also sent special vehicles to reconnect communication lines in mountainous areas cut off by landslides and power outages.

The interaction of a cold front, a tropical convergence zone and strong easterly winds has brought torrential rain to the central region from Quang Tri to Quang Ngai since Oct. 23. Rain intensified on the night of Oct. 25 and has continued since.

Four-day rainfall totals have exceeded 1,000 millimeters in several areas in Quang Tri, Hue, Da Nang, and Quang Ngai.

The National Center for Hydro-Meteorological Forecasting said heavy rain will persist through Thursday night, with 120–250 mm expected in Hue and Da Nang, and up to 400 mm in some areas. Southern Quang Tri and eastern Quang Ngai may receive 80–180 mm, locally up to 350 mm, while Ha Tinh to northern Quang Tri could see 70–140 mm, locally up to 250 mm. Rainfall intensity may exceed 150 mm in three hours, but downpours in Hue–Quang Ngai are expected to ease gradually from Thursday.