Two people die in Vietnam due to flooding and multiple landslides ravage the country.

Intense rainfall in Vietnam has led to deadly floods and over a dozen landslides, claiming at least two lives, according to state reports. Officials described 2025 as the country's most extraordinary year for natural disasters.

Weeks of relentless rain have battered south-central Vietnam, submerging numerous homes in popular coastal tourist areas and triggering fatal landslides in mountainous zones. Lam Dong province was particularly hard hit on Thursday, with thousands of houses inundated and at least two fatalities confirmed, the Voice of Vietnam reported.

Authorities reported that 16 landslides damaged infrastructure, including roads and bridges, and forced the evacuation of hundreds of residents. In Ham Thang commune, floodwaters reached up to two meters, prompting relief efforts with food and water delivered by boat. Resident Pham Thi Ngoc Yen remarked on the unprecedented nature of the flooding, expressing hope that water levels would recede soon so daily life could resume.

Record-Breaking Year of Disasters

Deputy Director of the Meteorology and Hydrology Department, Hoang Duc Cuong, described 2025 as "the year with the most unusual natural disasters in history." Vietnam experienced a record 21 storms this year, including 15 typhoons and six tropical depressions, the highest total since records began in 1961.

Vietnam is located in one of the worlds most cyclone-prone regions, yet it typically faces around 10 typhoons or storms annually. This year, extreme rainfall and flooding have affected rivers from the north through central areas down to the Mekong Delta. Officials noted that 20 rivers experienced historically high flood levels simultaneously, a phenomenon never seen before.

In central Vietnam, one location recorded 1,739 millimeters (5.7 feet) of rain in just 24 hours. Across Asia, recent floods have killed over 1,500 people and displaced hundreds of thousands in countries such as Indonesia and Sri Lanka.

In Vietnam alone, natural disasters this year have resulted in over 400 deaths or missing persons and caused damages exceeding $3.6 billion. The region is prone to heavy rainfall from June to September, and scientists warn that human-induced climate change is increasing the frequency and severity of such extreme weather events.

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• Flooding kills two as Vietnam hit by dozens of landslides