Flash floods and landslides kill 9 in northern Vietnam’s Bắc Kạn and Lai Châu provinces
At least 9 fatalities have been reported following flash floods and landslides triggered by prolonged heavy rainfall in Vietnam’s Bắc Kạn and Lai Châu provinces since Friday, May 16, 2025.
Landslide in Yen Duong, Vietnam on May 17, 2025. Credit: QĐND
Flash floods triggered by heavy rainfall in Bắc Kạn Province from Friday night to Saturday morning, May 16 to 17, claimed at least four lives and left one person missing.
Multiple landslides were reported in several areas following heavy rain, including Ba Bể District, which was the most heavily affected. Dozens of homes and large areas of crops sustained significant damage.
Flash floods struck Tân Luột Village, Đồng Phúc Commune, at around 23:30 local time (LT) on Saturday, after more than two hours of heavy rain. At least two people were reported dead.
At about 01:30 LT on Sunday, heavy rainfall triggered a landslide in Yến Dương Commune, causing the collapse of a house. Two people were killed and one was injured.
One person was reported missing following the flooding in Đồng Phúc. Nong Ngọc Duyên, chairman of the district People’s Committee, said that rescue teams were divided into two groups to reach the affected areas and search for the missing person.
The flooding significantly damaged farmland, with around 20 ha (50 acres) of corn and 0.5 ha (1.2 acres) of rice fields flooded in Nam Cường Commune of Chợ Đồn District.
In Chu Hương Commune, Ba Bể District, a fishpond dam was breached, submerging large areas of farmland. At Nhung Lũy Cooperative in Yến Dương Commune, about 90 cows died or were swept away when floodwaters inundated the barn. The full extent of the damage is still being assessed.
In Địa Linh Commune, floodwaters swept away two suspension bridges and one electric pole. Low-lying villages in Quảng Khê and Đồng Phúc Communes were isolated.
In Lai Châu Province, a landslide at a hydroelectric construction site in Phong Thổ District resulted in five deaths and four injuries on Saturday morning.
According to a report by the Department of Agriculture and Environment, the severe weather was caused by a compressed low-pressure trough combined with a strong wind convergence zone up to 3 km (2 miles) above the region.
Heavy rain continued through the weekend, with the National Center for Hydro-Meteorological Forecasting reporting that 215 mm (8.5 inches) of rain fell in Yến Dương from 19:00 LT on Saturday to 08:00 LT on Sunday, May 18.
I am an Assistant Editor and Severe Weather & Science Journalist at The Watchers, specializing in real-time severe weather coverage, geophysical event reporting, and research-driven scientific analysis. You can reach me at rishav(at)watchers(.)news.
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