Military personnel based in the northern province of Lào Cai help clean up the streets after floodwaters receded on October 1. — VNA/VNS Photo

HÀ NỘI — Typhoon Bualoi (known as Storm No. 10 in Việt Nam) and the ensuing floods, tornadoes and landslides have left 29 people dead and 22 missing as of Wednesday morning, according to the Department of Dike Management and Natural Disaster Prevention and Control under the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment.

A total of 139 people were injured, while eight fishermen from Gia Lai Province remain out of contact at sea.

The storm’s destruction has been widespread. Ninety-one houses collapsed or were swept away across northern and central localities, with nearly 145,000 homes damaged and more than 20,000 submerged.

Over 1,076 schools suffered damage.

Agriculture was hit hard, with more than 34,000 hectares of rice and crops and nearly 10,000 hectares of aquaculture destroyed or inundated. Some 1,105 livestock and 179,000 poultry were killed or swept away. More than 60,000 trees were uprooted.

Twenty-two incidents of dike breaches and landslides occurred, with nearly 20 kilometres of riverbanks and coastal embankments eroded. Flooding and landslides also blocked traffic at 1,272 locations from the north down to the central region, including in Sơn La, Phú Thọ, Tuyên Quang, Lạng Sơn, Cao Bằng, Bắc Ninh, Thanh Hóa, Nghệ An, Hà Tĩnh and Quảng Trị provinces.

A low-lying residential area on the bank of the Red River in Hà Nội was completely submerged as the water level rose. — VNA/VNS Photo Minh Quyết

Preliminary estimates of economic damage are at more than VNĐ8 trillion (US$303 million), with the central province of Hà Tĩnh alone accounting for VNĐ6 trillion in losses, and Nghệ An VNĐ1.4 trillion.

The storm also toppled more than 6,400 electricity poles, cutting power to nearly 2.7 million households. Power has since been restored to 1.4 million households. Authorities expect Quảng Trị Province to have power fully restored within today, while other affected areas are expected to recover by October 6.

In Hà Nội, torrential rains caused flooding at 65 locations, with water levels ranging from 20 to 60 centimetres. Some areas, such as Thăng Long Avenue, the Mỹ Đình – Thiên Hiền junction, Dương Đình Nghệ, Võ Chí Công and Yên Nghĩa Ward, saw flooding up to one metre.

International support has also begun to arrive. On September 30, Samaritan’s Purse and the International Organization for Migration sent letters to the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment, pledging humanitarian aid for residents affected by the typhoon in Hà Tĩnh Province. The aid package is valued at US$62,723 (over VNĐ1.6 billion).

Armed forces working to repair a breached dyke for Cầu River in Thái Nguyên on October 1. — VNA/VNS Photo

In Hà Nội, the People’s Committee has instructed departments and local administrations to mobilise all available forces to repair damage, restore essential services and stabilise daily life. Priority has been given to draining floodwaters, repairing dykes and power networks, and providing relief under the “four on-the-spot” principle. The city has also declared a state of emergency at several landslide-prone locations in mountainous commune Ba Vì.

In Lào Cai, where floods killed three people and left one missing, thousands of households were affected as water swept through Yên Bái Ward. Over 400 residents were evacuated and at least 19 streets submerged. Local authorities and volunteers have joined efforts to clear mud, disinfect public spaces and restore electricity. Initial losses in the province are estimated at VNĐ22 billion.

Typhoon-induced flooding also battered Thái Nguyên Province, where more than 1,100 hectares of crops were damaged and nearly 2,000 livestock swept away. Landslides blocked major highways and destroyed rural roads. A three-metre breach in a dyke along the Cầu River early on Wednesday triggered emergency repairs, with soldiers and police reinforcing the structure by midday.

Provincial leaders have urged swift relief operations, including food, medical supplies and shelter for affected families, while deploying the military and police to high-risk zones to support evacuations and disaster response.— VNS