The death toll from severe flooding in Vietnam has risen to 90, authorities reported on Sunday, as the country continues to assess the catastrophic impact of days of relentless rain across its south and central provinces. Several people remain missing, and tens of thousands of homes and farmland have been inundated.

Flood Impact and Humanitarian Crisis

The Vietnamese Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment reported that 63 of the deaths occurred in the mountainous Dak Lak province, where entire communities were submerged, and at least 12 people are still missing. While floodwaters have begun to recede in some areas, many neighborhoods remain inundated, and hundreds of families are still affected.

Farmer Mach Van Si, 61, described being stranded on his rooftop with his wife for two nights.

“Our neighborhood was completely destroyed. Nothing was left. Everything was covered in mud. I just thought we were going to die because there was no way out.”

Flooding has also affected coastal and tourist areas. Nha Trang experienced inundated city blocks, while landslides in the highlands near Da Lat compounded the destruction. More than 80,000 hectares (200,000 acres) of crops were damaged across Dak Lak and four other provinces, with over 3.2 million livestock and poultry lost.

Government Response and Aid Efforts

Authorities have deployed tens of thousands of personnel to provide emergency relief, distributing clothing, food, water purification tablets, and other essentials. Helicopters have been used to reach isolated communities, particularly in Khanh Hoa province, where flooding washed away two suspension bridges, leaving residents stranded.

Despite ongoing recovery efforts, 129,000 customers remain without electricity, down from over a million last week, and sections of national highways and railways are still blocked due to landslides and flood damage.

The Vietnamese government has estimated economic losses of $343 million across the five hardest-hit provinces. Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh has allocated substantial funding for reconstruction:

• Dak Lak: 500 billion VND (~$19 million)
• Lam Dong: 300 billion VND (~$11.4 million)
• Gia Lai and Khanh Hoa: 150 billion VND (~$5.7 million each)

Authorities aim to repair homes by the end of November and ensure new housing is ready for families displaced by the floods ahead of the Lunar New Year.

Climate Change and Disaster Patterns

Vietnam, prone to monsoon rains between June and September, has seen increasingly frequent and severe natural disasters. Scientists link the worsening flood patterns to human-driven climate change, which amplifies the intensity of storms, landslides, and heavy rainfall events. Between January and October 2025, natural disasters in Vietnam left 279 people dead or missing and caused over $2 billion in damages, according to national statistics.

Officials continue to urge residents to exercise caution as recovery and rebuilding efforts proceed, particularly in regions still vulnerable to rain and flooding.