The death toll from severe flooding and record-breaking rains in central Vietnam has risen to 40, authorities confirmed on Tuesday, as another powerful storm, Typhoon Kalmaegi, approaches the region.
The country’s central belt has been inundated by torrential downpours, with streets turning into rivers, riverbanks overflowing, and historic sites submerged.
Some areas recorded up to 1.7 metres (5 feet 6 inches) of rain in 24 hours, breaking national rainfall records.
Fatalities were reported in Hue, Da Nang, Lam Dong, and Quang Tri provinces, while six people remain missing, according to Vietnam’s Environment Ministry Disaster Management Agency.
The region faces further peril as Typhoon Kalmaegi is forecast to make landfall early Friday, bringing winds of up to 166 km/h (100 mph).
The storm is currently battering the Philippines, where it has claimed at least two lives and displaced hundreds of thousands.
Vietnam typically experiences heavy rains from June to September, but scientists warn that human-driven climate change is increasing the frequency and intensity of extreme weather events.
Normally, around ten typhoons or tropical storms affect Vietnam annually, but Kalmaegi will be the 13th storm of 2025.
Communities are still grappling with last week’s flooding. Remote areas remain isolated by landslides, nearly 80,000 homes are submerged, over 10,000 hectares (25,000 acres) of crops destroyed, and more than 68,000 livestock lost.
Authorities continue to mobilize disaster relief teams and issue warnings as residents brace for the next wave of severe weather.
