Heavy downpours hit central Vietnam, but miss the hydropower dams that need them most

Evacuations and school closures as heavy rain batters Da Nang

Authorities in Da Nang on Tuesday morning evacuated three households with 13 residents from a village in Tra Leng Commune after signs of possible landslides were detected on a hillside behind their homes.

Local officials said several roads in Tra Leng had been affected by falling soil and rocks, prompting inspections and warnings for residents to avoid high-risk areas.

In Hoi An Dong Ward, authorities ordered all kindergarten, elementary and middle school students to stay home beginning Tuesday until further notice because of continuing heavy rain and strong winds.

Earlier, the Da Nang administration had issued an official dispatch instructing the municipal Department of Education and Training and local authorities to decide whether to suspend classes for schoolchildren, university students and other learners based on weather conditions in each locality.

Forecasters warned that Da Nang could receive rainfall of 100-250 mm, with localized totals exceeding 350 mm over the next two days.

Flooding on rivers is expected from Tuesday to Thursday, raising the risk of inundation in low-lying areas, flash floods and landslides in mountainous locations.

Roads flooded, schools closed in Hue

Several localities in Hue suspended classes on Tuesday amid concerns that rising floodwaters, combined with water releases from hydropower reservoirs, could threaten students’ safety.

Huong Tra Ward ordered all students to stay home after the Huong Dien hydropower plant began releasing water at rates of 1,000-1,500 cubic meters per second into the Bo River, one of Hue’s major waterways, said Nguyen Viet Ha, chairman of the ward’s administration.

Nguyen Tan, head of the Hue Department of Education and Training, said the department had instructed school principals to closely monitor weather conditions and decide whether to suspend classes when necessary.

Apart from Huong Tra, Hoa Chau Ward and several schools in the A Luoi area also suspended classes on Tuesday morning.

Intense rainfall also flooded sections of the Ho Chi Minh Highway in A Luoi 2 Commune, where water depths reached 20-30 centimeters in some areas.

Le Trung Hieu, chairman of A Luoi 5 Commune’s administration, said landslides had occurred around Ta Luong Pass and at other locations along National Highway 49, temporarily disrupting traffic.

The Hue Hydrometeorological Station said some mountainous locations recorded exceptionally high rainfall from 10:00 pm on Monday to 4:00 am on Tuesday, including 250.4 mm in Nam Dong, 207.8 mm in Huong Son, and 177.8 mm in Hong Thai.

Quang Tri faces flooding, landslides

In Quang Tri Province, heavy rain submerged multiple low-water crossings and triggered landslides.

In Dakrong Commune, six low-water crossings were flooded by 2-2.5 meters of water.

Landslides blocked part of Route 9C in Kim Ngan Commune, while rising rivers and fast-moving currents isolated some remote communities. Authorities deployed police and local response teams to barricade dangerous areas and prevent people from crossing flooded roads.

In Ba Long Commune, several low-water crossings were inundated from early Tuesday morning, making travel difficult.

In Hieu Giang Commune, water levels in the Hieu River were rising rapidly, with some local roads and low-lying areas beginning to flood deeply amid strong currents.

Hydropower plants still waiting for rain

Despite heavy rainfall in lowland areas, major reservoirs in the upper Vu Gia-Thu Bon river basin in Da Nang remain far below normal levels.

At the A Vuong hydropower plant, reservoir levels were still nearly seven meters below the spillway threshold on Tuesday morning.

Operators said the reservoir needs more than 181 million cubic meters of additional water to reach normal storage levels and are generating electricity only at minimum levels.

The Song Tranh hydropower plant reported a similar situation. Reservoir levels remain well below the normal operating level, prompting the company to shut down both turbines to conserve water.

The Da Nang administration warned that drought, water shortages and saltwater intrusion in the Vu Gia-Thu Bon river basin remain major concerns for the 2027 dry season if reservoirs fail to accumulate sufficient water during the remainder of the rainy season.