Vietnam flooding death toll rises to 16

Relentless rainfall has battered south-central provinces since late October, affecting historic towns and popular coastal destinations. The Ministry of Environment said searches were still underway for five missing individuals.

Thousands of homes submerged and roads blocked

More than 43,000 homes were flooded, while major roads remain impassable due to landslides. In Gia Lai and Dak Lak, rescuers used boats to break through roofs and windows on Wednesday to reach people trapped by rising waters.

In Nha Trang, one of Vietnam’s most visited tourist cities, entire neighbourhoods were inundated and hundreds of vehicles were submerged, according to AFP images.

Landslides hit highlands and rainfall breaks records

Multiple deadly landslides were reported around Da Lat’s highland passes. Some areas recorded up to 600 millimetres (two feet) of rain since the weekend, the national weather bureau said.

Emergency hotlines received unusually high call volumes as water surged across the region. Helicopters deployed by the defence ministry also joined search and rescue missions.

Water levels in the Ba River in Dak Lak surpassed a 1993 record, while the Cai River in Khanh Hoa reached a new peak early Thursday.

Experts warn of climate-driven extreme weather

The historic flooding was caused by intense rainfall on top of already elevated water levels, said Hoang Phuc Lam, deputy head of the National Center for Hydrometeorological Forecasting.

Vietnam’s national statistics office reported that natural disasters have left 279 people dead or missing and caused more than $2 billion in damage from January to October alone.

The Southeast Asian nation regularly experiences heavy rains from June to September, but growing scientific evidence links these increasingly severe weather events to human-driven climate change, which is making storms more frequent and destructive.