Rain-triggered floods, landslides warned for northern Vietnam

Heavy rains after a week-long heat wave are forecast to cause flash floods and landslides in Vietnam’s northern mountainous region, the national meteorological agency has warned.

A village in northern Vietnam was destroyed by landslides in June.
A village in northern Vietnam was destroyed by landslides in June.

The agency stated that medium to heavy rains began to pour in the northwestern provinces on July 7 before expanding to the Red River Delta region and Thanh Hoa province on July 8 and 9.

Torrential rains are forecast for the provinces of Lai Chau, Lao Cai, Ha Giang, Tuyen Quang, Yen Bai, Cao Bang and Lang Son, where the severity of disaster risks is rated as small to medium.

The heavy rain in Vietnam’s northern region is forecast to last for several days with the most volume falling on the three days from July 7-9.

From July 8-10, a flood is expected to occur on the upper reaches of the Da, Thao and Lo Rivers, causing the water to rise by 2-3 metres, according to the latest forecast issued by the national weather service.

To cope with the imminent rising water levels, the national disaster management agency ordered the Hoa Binh and Son La Hydropower Plants to open their flood gates to discharge water on July 7.

Earlier, those with activities downstream such as aquafarms, ships and pumping stations had been notified of the discharge.