Homes along the Nam Mo River, a tributary of the Ca River, in Muong Xen Commune were submerged under nearly two meters of water on Wednesday morning as water rose rapidly from the previous night, hours after Storm Wipha made landfall.
Hundreds of families in the area have been isolated, with transportation cut off. Many have been relocated by authorities to higher ground for shelter, while some have moved to the second floors of their homes.
At 1 a.m. on Wednesday, floodwaters reached halfway up the gate of a primary boarding school. The water damaged 12 televisions, 5 refrigerators, 22 computers, 1.7 tons of rice, and many important documents.
Nine hours after making landfall between Hung Yen and Thanh Hoa provinces in northern Vietnam, Storm Wipha weakened into a tropical depression at 7:25 p.m. Tuesday, but continued to bring heavy rain.
About 80 km downstream, in Tuong Duong Commune, heavy rains over the past two days have caused water levels to rise by nearly 2 meters, submerging many homes.
Hoa Binh Market in Tuong Duong Commune was flooded by more than 2 meters. Widespread rain, combined with flooding from Laos, caused the water inflow into the Ban Ve Hydroelectric Reservoir in Yen Na Commune to peak at 12,800 cu.m per seconds, exceeding the reservoir's designed capacity.
To relieve pressure on the nearly 1.83 billion cu.m reservoir, the plant had to increase its discharge to 4,300 cu.m/s.
Many roads in Tuong Duong Commune are submerged by over 2 meters, with debris, tin roofs, and trash accumulating. Grocery stores have been flooded, and many products, including snacks and household items, were damaged.
Authorities in the communes of Ky Son, Tuong Duong, and Con Cuong have sent staff to assist with evacuating residents to schools and community centers for shelter, and to relocate their belongings to higher ground.
Affected residents said the floodwaters rose quickly, reaching street level by evening, and within about three hours, their entire houses were submerged.
People in Con Cuong move their livestock to higher ground for safety.
The Nghe An Provincial Steering Committee for Disaster Prevention, Search and Rescue, and Civil Defense reported that as of Tuesday night, one person from Nam Can Commune was missing due to the floodwaters. Additionally, 161 houses were damaged, 2 commune offices were submerged, and 45 spots along national and provincial roads were affected by landslides caused by Storm Wipha.
According to the National Center for Hydro-Meteorological Forecasting, heavy rain is expected to focus on the southern regions of the northern delta on Wednesday, including Hanoi, Thanh Hoa, and Nghe An, with common rainfall amounts ranging from 100-200 mm, and some areas receiving over 300 mm. Other regions in the northern delta and Ha Tinh will receive 20-50 mm of rain, with some areas exceeding 100 mm. A warning has been issued for heavy rainfall of over 150 mm in 3 hours, which could lead to flooding, flash floods, and landslides.
People in Nghe An Province run away from floods late at night of July 22, 2025. Video by Dao Tho
