Storm Bualoi weakens to tropical depression after ragaving Vietnam for 13 hours

By Gia Chinh September 29, 2025 | 12:04 am PT

A car is severely damaged in Thanh Hoa, central Vietnam following impacts of Storm Bualoi on Sept. 29, 2025. Photo by VnExpress/Le Hoang

After battering central Vietnam for 13 hours and killing at least 12 people, Storm Bualoi weakened into a tropical depression at the Vietnam–Laos border around 1 p.m. Monday, leaving torrential rains, deadly tornadoes and severe flooding in its wake.

According to the National Center for Hydro-Meteorological Forecasting, Bualoi crossed into Upper Laos about 50 kilometers from the border at 1 p.m., sustaining wind speed at 39–61 kph.

The storm lingered far longer than expected on land: 13 hours compared to the forecast of 6–8 hours, nearly matching the 15-hour landfall record set by Typhoon Yagi in 2024. For an hour after hitting land, it hardly moved at all.

Despite land friction, Bualoi weakened slowly. It struck Ngang Pass on the Quang Tri–Ha Tinh border at 0:30 a.m. with wind speed at 103-117 kph, blowing at level 75-102 kph in Ha Tinh–Nghe An by 5 a.m., then only easing to 62-74 kph by mid-morning. From 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., the storm stalled at the Nghe An–Laos border.

Meteorologists noted that Bualoi also took an unusually straight path, holding a steady west-northwest course since its formation, and traveled at 30–40 kph for nearly half its six-day lifespan, double the average speed of a typhoon.

Wind records showed peak gust speed at 166 kph in Hoanh Son (Ha Tinh), 149 kph in Dien Chau (Nghe An), and 133 kph in Ky Anh (Ha Tinh). Coastal areas from northern Quang Tri to Quang Ninh endured wind speed at 39-88 kph.

Rainfall was extreme: from Sunday evening to Monday morning, Xuan Binh (Thanh Hoa) recorded 341 mm, Nong Truong 15 (Nghe An) 376 mm, Ky Lien (Ha Tinh) 312 mm, and Quang Hop (Quang Tri) a staggering 445 mm. Forecasts warn of another 100–200 mm across Thanh Hoa–Ha Tinh, the Red River Delta, Phu Tho and parts of Son La and Lao Cai through Tuesday, with some places surpassing 350 mm. Localized deluges could exceed 200 mm in just three hours.

Authorities issued high-risk warnings for flash floods and landslides in northern mountains and Thanh Hoa–Ha Tinh, as well as urban flooding in northern Vietnam and low-lying areas of Dong Nai.

Far from the eye, tornadoes struck Ninh Binh, Hung Yen and Hai Phong. Ninh Binh was hardest hit, with nine deaths and 18 injuries reported in communes including Quy Nhat, Hai Anh, Hai Thinh, Hong Phong, Gia Hung and Chat Binh.

Typhoon Bualoi has resulted in at least 12 deaths in Vietnam as of Monday afternoon.