Vietnam Flood Deaths Climb as Heavy Rain Drenches Coffee Region

The death toll in Vietnam from days of severe flooding has climbed to 43 as heavy rain drenches coffee-producing regions in the central highlands and waters remain high in some tourism areas.

Around 61,000 people have been evacuated and half a million or more are still without power, the government said after an emergency meeting with the leaders of four central provinces. Flash flood and landslide warnings have been issued for six provinces by the national weather agency.

The extreme weather has delayed harvesting in the nation’s biggest coffee-growing province of Dak Lak, where some areas have seen 1,792 millimeters (70 inches) of rain since Sunday. Further downpours risk denting output in the world’s top producer of robusta beans.

Flooding has engulfed whole blocks in the popular beach resort of Nha Trang in Khanh Hoa province, leaving hundreds of cars stranded, according to VnExpress news website. That’s just weeks after tourism hotspots Hue and Hoi An were also left submerged.

The Southeast Asian nation has seen significantly above-normal rainfall in recent weeks, with total precipitation at least 270 millimeters above historical averages in the month to Nov. 19, according to data from the US Climate Prediction Center. Above-average rains are forecast to continue through at least early December, concentrated in the northern central coastal region, the center said.

Two climate drivers are contributing to the wet conditions in Southeast Asia: an active La Niña weather pattern, and the Indian Ocean Dipole being in a negative phase. Models are forecasting above-normal rainfall for the months of November, December, and January in southern mainland Southeast Asia, according to the ASEAN Specialised Meteorological Centre.

Vietnam has been hit by at least 13 major storms this year and natural disasters have left at least 241 people dead and caused more than 53.8 trillion dong ($2 billion) in damage between January and October, according to the national statistics office.

In Khanh Hoa, one of the worst hit provinces, around 800 millimeters of rain fell in one day this week. Some parts of the region have been entirely cut off with authorities still trying to reach more than 300 households.

Photograph: Floodwaters in Nha Trang, Khanh Hoa province, Vietnam, on Nov. 20, 2025; photo credit: Duc Thao/AFP/Getty Images