Deadly Floods and Landslides Claim 90 Lives, Leave 12 Missing in Central Vietnam
The confirmed death toll from weeks of relentless rain, severe flooding, and landslides across central and Central Highlands Vietnam has tragically risen to 90 people, with 12 others still unaccounted for. The devastation, concentrated heavily in Dak Lak Province, has inundated over 235,000 homes, caused estimated economic losses exceeding $340 million, and severed critical transport links across the region.
The central and Central Highlands regions of Vietnam continue to grapple with devastating, prolonged flooding and deadly landslides, with disaster authorities confirming on Sunday, November 23, 2025, that the death toll has climbed to 90, with 12 people still reported missing. The casualties follow weeks of relentless, heavy rainfall since late October, which has been compounded by the remnants of recent tropical storms, causing rivers to surpass historic flood levels in several provinces.
The mountainous central province of Dak Lak has been the hardest hit, accounting for more than 60 confirmed fatalities since November 16 alone, with tens of thousands of homes submerged in the area. Other critically affected provinces include Khanh Hoa, where 14 deaths have been recorded, and Lam Dong, which recorded five. Local officials have mobilized army, police, and security forces to conduct mass evacuations and rescue operations, with rescuers using boats to pluck stranded residents from rooftops and assist those isolated in hard-to-reach areas.
Widespread Damage and Humanitarian Crisis
The floods have inflicted severe infrastructural and economic damage across the region:
- Homes and Utilities: Over 235,000 houses have been inundated or damaged, leading to power outages that initially affected over a million households, with many still without electricity.
- Agriculture and Livelihoods: The agricultural sector has been severely impacted, with almost 80,000 hectares of crops and over 117,000 hectares of perennial plants, including the region’s vital coffee belt, completely ruined. Millions of livestock and poultry have also been lost.
- Economic Cost: The government’s preliminary estimate places the total economic losses at nearly 9 trillion Vietnamese Dong (approximately $341 million), a figure expected to rise as comprehensive damage assessments continue.
- Transport Disruption: Several sections of national highways and key mountain passes, including routes around the tourist hub of Da Lat, remain closed due to deep water or landslides, severely fragmenting transport networks between the north and south of the country.
While rainfall has begun to ease in some areas, river levels remain high, and flooding persists in several communes in Dak Lak Province, prolonging the humanitarian crisis. International organizations, including UNICEF and IOM, have announced emergency aid packages to support Vietnam’s disaster response, focusing on providing shelter, clean water, and nutritional support to the most vulnerable families affected by the disaster.
