14 dead, 8 missing as floods devastate central Vietnam, submerging over 128,000 homes

By Gia Chinh October 30, 2025 | 12:05 am PT

Rows of houses on Bach Dang Street, near the Hoai River, are submerged by floodwater in Da Nang, Vietnam. Photo by VnExpress/Nguyen Dong

Flooding since Oct. 26 has killed at least 14 people in central Vietnam, leaving eight missing and submerging more than 128,000 homes in 90 communes.

The Central Steering Committee for Natural Disaster Prevention said Da Nang, Hue and Quang Ngai have been hardest hit. Seven deaths were reported in Da Nang, four in Quang Ngai, two in Hue and one in Lam Dong. Another 22 people were injured.

By Thursday morning, water levels were slowly receding but remained dangerously high. In Hue, 32 of 40 communes were still flooded under 0.5 to 2 meters.

Da Nang reported 29 inundated communes, mostly in the downstream stretches of the Vu Gia and Thu Bon rivers, while ten mountainous communes were completely cut off by landslides. In Quang Ngai 15 communes remain flooded up to three meters deep, and many households in Quang Tri isolated.

Nearly 26,000 residents have been evacuated from heavily flooded or landslide-prone areas. Authorities said 4,400 hectares of rice and crops were damaged, 650 hectares of fruit trees ruined and more than 16,300 livestock and poultry swept away.

The floods have crippled transportation throughout the region. Twenty national highways are blocked by landslides or deep water, including sections of the Ho Chi Minh Road and Truong Son Dong route. In Hue alone, 38 landslide points were recorded, with major collapses along mountain passes. Rail traffic through the area has been suspended, forcing Vietnam Railways to halt multiple north-south express trains from Hanoi, Da Nang and Ho Chi Minh City.

At 6 p.m. Wednesday, the Bo River in Hue rose 0.77 meters above the third alarm level, the highest, surpassing the historic 2020 flood peak, before gradually falling by Thursday morning. The Huong River also remained above danger level.

In Da Nang, the Vu Gia River hovered just above the third alarm, while the Thu Bon River exceeded the 1964 record before easing slightly. The Tra Khuc River in Quang Ngai stood above the second alarm level.

Meteorologists warn that despite easing rainfall, floodwaters in central Vietnam could persist for two to three more days, and in low-lying plains for up to five.