Torrential rain submerges central Vietnam, cutting national highways and forcing mass evacuations

By early Thursday, floodwaters had swept across multiple stretches of National Highways 1A and 20.

At Gop Junction in Lam Dong, fast-moving water from nearby fields submerged National Highway 1A under half a meter, pushing aside road dividers and sweeping household items onto the asphalt. Police blocked both ends as traffic came to a standstill.

Another section near Ong Vat Bridge was inundated before waters began to recede, allowing larger vehicles to inch through. Upstream rain continued pouring, flooding towns including Lien Huong and Phuoc The due to slow drainage.

Lam Dong's Hiep Thanh Commune saw some of the most dangerous conditions. Water began rising around 1 a.m., prompting nonstop warnings for residents to avoid fast-flowing currents. Up to a meter of water submerged parts of National Highway 20, sending water into homes. 16 low-lying households were evacuated by morning as others fled to higher ground.

 

 

Torrential rain submerges central Vietnam, cutting national highways and forcing mass evacuations

Mưa gây ngập quốc lộ 1 qua Bình Thuận

In Khanh Hoa, suburban Nha Trang endured nearly half a meter of water across multiple neighborhoods. Nguyen Luong Bang Street turned into a river, forcing people to push motorbikes through deep water along the Cai River. Some residents moved around on tractors. Loudspeakers blasted warnings through the night.

"We lifted everything as high as we could," said Van Binh, a resident. "The last flood already cost us a lot. If the water gets in again, we’ll have to keep renting."

Authorities deployed crews to block off dangerous zones. By 9 a.m., water levels were still rising but at a slower pace.

Meteorologists reported widespread rainfall of 30–80 mm across Khanh Hoa overnight, with some places exceeding 120 mm.

Dozens of low-lying coastal and urban wards including parts of Nha Trang and Cam Ranh, were warned of continued flash flooding, especially with the evening high tide expected to reach 1.7 m.

Several schools suspended classes due to flooding.

The National Center for Hydro-Meteorological Forecasting said the remnants of Storm Koto continue to fuel widespread heavy rain from Quang Tri to Da Nang, eastern Quang Ngai, Dak Lak, Khanh Hoa and Lam Dong. Some stations recorded more than 180 mm of rain since Wednesday night.

Over the next 24–48 hours, heavy rain is expected to persist, with intense downpours topping 100 mm in three hours in some areas.

The heavy rains hit a region already reeling from weeks of disaster. Across the south-central provinces, floods between Nov. 16 and 22 have killed 98 people, left 10 missing, destroyed nearly 1,000 houses, damaged more than 3,400 others and caused an estimated VND16.2 trillion ($614.3 million) in losses, making Dak Lak, Lam Dong and Khanh Hoa among the hardest-hit.