Death toll from severe flooding in Vietnam rises to 90, dozens missing

The Ministry of Environment of Vietnam reported on Sunday that the death toll from severe flooding in central and south‑central regions of the country has reached 90, with 12 people still missing. The flooding follows several days of relentless rainfall that have inundated towns, swept away homes, and triggered deadly landslides.

The hardest-hit region is Dak Lak Province, where over 60 fatalities have been recorded since November 16.

Tens of thousands of homes were submerged, and four communes remain flooded. Coastal Khanh Hoa Province has also suffered extensive damage, with heavy flooding washing away two suspension bridges and leaving many households isolated. Several highland passes near the Da Lat tourist hub were hit by landslides, disrupting travel and transportation.

The floods have devastated agriculture, damaging more than 80,000 hectares of rice and other crops across five provinces. Livestock losses are significant, with over 3.2 million animals either killed or swept away by floodwaters. Transportation infrastructure has also been severely affected: national highways remain blocked in several locations, and railway services are suspended in parts of the affected regions.

At the peak of the floods, more than one million households were without electricity, and as of Sunday, over 129,000 customers remained without power. The Ministry of Environment estimates economic losses of approximately $343 million across the five provinces.

The Vietnamese government has deployed tens of thousands of personnel to deliver emergency aid, including food, clean water, water-purification tablets, and clothing. Helicopters have been used to airdrop supplies to isolated communities cut off by flooding and landslides.

Vietnam is naturally prone to heavy rainfall between June and September, but scientists note that human-driven climate change is increasing the frequency and severity of extreme weather events, making disasters like these more destructive.

Between January and October this year, natural disasters in Vietnam have resulted in 279 deaths or missing persons and caused over $2 billion in economic losses, according to the National Statistics Office.