From July 21-27, storm No. 3-triggered circulation and a tropical convergence zone dumped heavy rain across northern Vietnam, sparking flash floods, landslides, and ground subsidence in Son La.
Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh has requested concerted efforts to overcome consequences of floods and landslides, and urged organisations to quickly assist local people in Dien Bien, Son La and Nghe An provinces.
On July 24, following a directive of the Ministry of National Defence, the General Staff of the Vietnam People’s Army dispatched a working group to the locality to coordinate emergency aid efforts in areas cut off by floodwaters.
Typhoon Wipha (designated as Typhoon No. 3 in Vietnam) has caused widespread destruction across several northern and north-central provinces, damaging hundreds of homes, submerging over 119,000ha of rice paddies and triggering multiple dike incidents.
The committee has committed nearly 650 million VND (24,870 USD) in aid for flood-hit residents. This includes 200 million VND in cash for families who suffered fatalities, injuries, or significant losses of homes, livelihoods, and food; and hundreds of relief boxes.
Deputy PM Mai Van Chinh made an inspection tour of Con Cuong commune, one of the hardest-hit areas, where he was informed that flooding has submerged 24 hamlets, 10 of which was completely cut off and five partially isolated, with no casualties reported.
In an urgent dispatch issued on July 23, PM Pham Minh Chinh instructed the ministers of national defence, public security, agriculture and environment, finance, industry and trade, and construction, as well as chairpersons of the people’s committees of Quang Ninh, Hai Phong, Hung Yen, Ninh Binh, Thanh Hoa, Nghe An, Ha Tinh, Bac Ninh, Lang Son, Phu Tho, Thai Binh provinces and Hanoi city to conduct thorough damage assessments and provide accurate reports on the flooding’s impact.
The Department of Dyke Management and Natural Disaster Prevention and Control under the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment has released an updated report on the damage caused by typhoon Wipha (locally known as storm No. 3) and subsequent flooding.
A storm called Francisco, located 900km east of northern Luzon as of 10 am, is moving northward with sustained winds of 65 km/h and gusts up to 80 km per hour. It is expected to exit the Philippine area of responsibility by July 24 and head toward northern Taiwan.
The disaster risk warning level for flash floods, landslides, and ground subsidence due to heavy rains and flows is rated at level 1, except in Nghe An, where it is raised to level 2.
Typhoon Wipha and widespread flooding have devastated northern and north-central provinces, damaging homes, crippling agriculture and triggering multiple dike failures. Emergency response teams are working around the clock as further heavy rains are forecast.
At 9:00 p.m. on July 22, the inflow to the upstream area of Ban Ve Hydropower Reservoir surged to 9,543 cubic meters per second—approaching the peak flood threshold of 10,500 m³/s, which corresponds to a once-in-5,000-years event (0.02% probability), according to the Nghe An Provincial People’s Committee.
EVNNPC is making every effort to fully restore electricity for 100% of affected customers as soon as possible, while ensuring absolute safety for all personnel involved in repair and restoration work.
The PM requested the province to proactively develop response plans to ensure the safety of local communities, and be ready to evacuate them in the worst-case scenarios, avoiding any passivity.
The Department of Dyke Management and Disaster Prevention under the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment has released a preliminary report on the damage caused by typhoon Wipha (locally known as storm No. 3) as of the evening of July 22.
As of 1:00 am, the low-pressure area was located at around 20.0 degrees North latitude and 104.8 degrees East longitude. The strongest winds near its centre were below level 6 (under 39 km/h). Earlier, in the night of July 22, it had weakened into a low-pressure area over the Vietnam–Laos border.
The centre said that the storm’s centre was located at approximately 20.1 degrees North latitude and 105.6–105.7 degrees East longitude, with wind speeds reaching level 6–7 (50–61km/h) and gusts up to level 9. The depression is moving west-southwest at a speed of around 10km/h.
Forecasts showed that by 4 pm on July 23, the storm will have moved west-southwest into northern Laos and weakened into a tropical depression, then into a low-pressure area. Wind speeds are expected to drop below level 6.
