Flooding in Vietnam's Nghe An leaves 3 dead, over 3,200 homes submerged after storm Wipha

Nguyen Duc Trung, secretary of the provincial Party Committee, chaired a meeting on Wednesday to direct urgent response measures following widespread damage caused by the storm’s aftermath.

Between 7:00 pm on Monday and 7:00 pm on Tuesday this week, rainfall across this north-central province reached 100-200mm, with some areas recording over 250mm.

Authorities reported that one person remains missing.

At least 417 homes were damaged and 3,237 flooded.

Thousands of residents have been evacuated to safety, but many villages remain isolated and without electricity, including 21 villages in Tuong Duong Commune, and hundreds of households in other communes such as Chau Khe, Huu Khuong, Keng Du, My Ly, and Con Cuong.

Officials inspected high-risk areas and key hydropower facilities, including Ban Ve Hydropower Plant.

Reservoir discharges were carried out according to emergency procedures to reduce downstream flooding.

Local authorities have activated around-the-clock emergency operations using the ‘four-on-the-spot’ approach: local forces, supplies, command, and logistics.

Evacuation plans for riverside and landslide-prone areas are being enforced, and essential supplies are being delivered to isolated communities.

In My Ly Commune, a handwritten emergency report from Border Guard Commander Lieutenant Colonel Hoang The Ngoc detailed the scale of destruction: 150 homes swept away, over 200 flooded, the Yen Hoa suspension bridge destroyed, and National Highway 16 severely damaged.

Public facilities, including the local police station, health center, and forest ranger post, also collapsed.

Communication and power outages cut off access to the commune, forcing officers to physically carry the letter through flood-hit terrain to reach an area with phone signal.

“We’re doing our best to help residents recover, but many homes and belongings are buried under mud and debris,” said Lt. Col. Ngoc.

Thanks to prior warnings, all residents in My Ly were safely evacuated before floodwaters surged on Tuesday evening.

Still, the once-thriving riverside commune now lies in ruins, with many homes reduced to bare foundations and hundreds of families left with nothing.

Luong Van Bay, chairman of the My Ly administration, said the commune has mobilized all available forces to evacuate residents and distribute essentials like rice, instant noodles, drinking water, and medicine.

“We’re prioritizing access to cut-off villages and asking higher-level authorities for urgent support to restore homes, roads, electricity, telecoms, and essential services,” he said.

Storm Wipha weakened into a tropical depression over northern Ninh Binh and north-central Thanh Hoa Provinces late on Tuesday afternoon, after making landfall in the northern region earlier that day.

Besides Nghe An, the storm flooded about 107,000 hectares of rice crops across northern Vietnam.

Local carriers canceled and rescheduled dozens of flights, while some airport, port, and train services were suspended due to the storm.