The death toll in Vietnam from last week’s record-breaking downpours has climbed to 37 as another powerful storm bears down on the country’s coast and floodwaters rise again in some tourism hubs.
The national weather agency warned that river levels are rising rapidly and there is a risk of further flooding in the historic city of Hue, which saw more than 1,700 millimeters (5.6 feet) of rain within 24 hours last week, just short of the global record. More heavy rain is forecast from Quang Tri to Danang, with some areas expecting over 600mm, the bureau said.
Vietnam has been hit by 12 major storms so far this year, which have left at least 241 dead and cost the economy more than 53.8 trillion dong ($2 billion). Its 3,000-kilometer (1,864-mile) coastline makes it particularly vulnerable to cyclones, according to meteorologists, and climate change has increased the country’s exposure to storm-related damage.
Read more: Vietnam Logs Five Feet of Rain in One Day, Nearing World Record
Now, another powerful storm is bearing down on the Southeast Asian nation. Typhoon Kalmaegi is expected to move across the warm waters of the South China Sea this week, with the Hong Kong Observatory currently predicting it will hit southern Vietnam as a severe typhoon on Thursday or Friday. The system, currently off the east coast of the Philippines, could dump more heavy rain and damage crops in Vietnam’s main coffee growing region.
The Philippines’ disaster risk-management agency has issued a red alert, the highest warning, “in anticipation of an imminent emergency situation.” Nearly 10,000 schools are at risk of potential flooding, with classes suspended in the affected areas, mostly in the Visayas region, according to the Department of Education.
The country’s weather bureau said it’s not ruling out the likelihood of Kalmaegi reaching super typhoon strength. Kalmaegi and Super Typhoon Haiyan, which killed more than 6,000 people in the country in 2013, have similar tracks though the latter was stronger, the agency’s weather division chief Juanito Galang said in a briefing.
Central Vietnam is still reeling from last week’s rains, which damaged around 7,900 hectares of crops and due to which 12,600 homes remain flooded. Dozens of roads remain blocked by landslides, according to the disaster management authority.
The government has approved an emergency relief fund of 450 billion dong ($17.1 million) to support recovery efforts in the worst-affected areas of Hue, Danang, Quang Tri, and Quang Ngai.
Top photograph: People navigate a flooded street on boats during heavy rains in Hoi An on Oct. 30, 2025; photo credit: Nhac Nguyen/AFP/Getty Images
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