Hanoi tells residents to work from home Monday ahead of Typhoon Matmo's landfall

Around 2.3 million students in Hanoi, from kindergartens to high schools, will stay home on Monday, Tran The Cuong, Director of the Department of Education and Training, announced Sunday afternoon.

The order was issued following an urgent directive from Hanoi chairman Tran Sy Thanh Saturday evening for the education department to oversee safety checks and be ready to implement plans to ensure the safety of teachers, students, and school facilities.

"All schools will close tomorrow and switch to online learning," Cuong said.

Commuters struggle in water in Hanoi on Sept. 30, 2025 due to the impact of Typhoon Bualoi. Photo by VnExpress/Hoang Giang

Local wards and communes were told to deploy forces to manage traffic flow, guide transportation, and restrict residents from passing through submerged areas, streams, roads with strong currents, or areas affected by incidents or landslides.

The Department of Construction was ordered to increase its readiness to prevent and combat urban flooding, coordinating water drainage and flood control in suburban areas – especially focusing on locations previously flooded from Typhoon Bualoi.

Additionally, it was tasked with pruning trees to prevent branches from falling, ensuring public lighting safety, traffic signals, and sufficient clean water supply for residents in areas set to be affected by catastrophes.

Typhoon Matmo is expected to make landfall in Quang Ninh Province, home to Ha Long Bay, on Monday morning, with wind speed of 75-88 kilometers per hour, according to the National Center for Hydrometeorological Forecasting.

Hanoi is unlikely to experience strong winds from the storm but will see rainfall of 70–120 mm, in some places over 150 mm, from early Monday to Tuesday.

Matmo’s impact on Hanoi and northern Vietnam coincides with hydroelectric reservoirs opening floodgates.

Hoa Binh has opened two bottom outlets, Tuyen Quang three bottom outlets, Thac Ba two surface outlets, Son La one outlet, and Nui Coc five spillway gates.

Most irrigation reservoirs remain high, exceeding spillway thresholds.

Many areas are saturated with water, posing landslide risks. Additionally, according to reports from wards and communes, over 2,000 houses in low-lying areas are still flooded from the effects of Typhoon Bualoi.

Earlier, Typhoon Bualoi brought heavy rain to Hanoi, with some locations receiving over 600 mm from Sept. 29–30.

The rain, heaviest in decades, caused flooding at 116 locations within the city, typically 0.3–0.5 meters deep, with some streets such reaching 1–1.5 meters.