Flood water submerges houses and roads in the central province of Hà Tĩnh. — VNA/VNS Photo Công Tường

HÀ NỘI — Prime Minister Phạm Minh Chính has signed an official dispatch urging ministries, agencies and localities to promptly address the aftermath of recent floods in central Việt Nam.

The dispatch was sent to the secretaries of the Party Committees and chairpersons of the People’s Committees of Quảng Trị, Quảng Ngãi, Hà Tĩnh and Nghệ An provinces, as well as Huế and Đà Nẵng cities. It was also sent to ministers and heads of ministerial-level and government agencies.

In recent days, the central region has been severely affected by heavy rains and flooding, resulting in significant loss of life and extensive damage to homes and property. Many roads and infrastructure facilities have been destroyed, severely disrupting local production, business activities and daily life.

PM Chính commended the efforts of the armed forces, police, local Party committees, authorities and residents in responding to and overcoming the consequences of the floods.

He requested leaders of the affected localities, along with the Ministers of National Defence, Public Security, Agriculture and Environment, Construction, Industry and Trade, Health and Education and Training, as well as heads of relevant agencies, to take proactive and decisive actions within their authority to effectively support affected people and swiftly stabilise the situation.

Priority must be given to search and rescue operations, providing timely medical treatment to the injured and supporting families of the deceased and missing. Authorities are also instructed to reach isolated areas and deliver food, drinking water, medicines and other essential supplies; assist residents in repairing damaged houses and rebuilding those destroyed or washed away; offer temporary shelters to displaced households; and guide communities in cleaning up, restoring sanitation, disinfecting affected areas and preventing post-flood disease outbreaks.

The PM also ordered the immediate mobilisation of all available forces to clean up and repair schools and medical facilities; urgently address infrastructure damage; and restore essential services, especially electricity, water, telecommunications and transportation.

He further directed localities to accurately assess and report flood-related losses and develop recovery plans to be submitted to relevant ministries for consolidation. Issues beyond local capacity must be promptly reported to the PM.

Ministries and agencies, within their respective functions and authority, are required to actively assist localities in addressing the consequences of the floods.

The Ministry of Agriculture and Environment, in coordination with relevant agencies and localities, was tasked with developing a comprehensive plan to mitigate the impacts of floods in central Việt Nam.

Deputy PM Trần Hồng Hà will continue to oversee flood recovery efforts and the implementation of disaster prevention measures in the time ahead.

Severe flooding

Party General Secretary Tô Lâm and an official delegation visit people affected by prolonged rain and floods in Huế City. — VNA/VNS Photo Thống Nhất

The water levels of the Hương and Bồ rivers in Huế City surpassed alarm level 3 as of 7am on Monday, according to the city’s hydro-meteorological station.

Heavy to very heavy rainfall is forecast to continue over the next few hours, with total precipitation ranging from 20 to 40mm and some areas likely to receive more than 70mm.

The prolonged downpour has caused rapid rises in river levels, leading to extensive flooding across downstream areas, low-lying zones and urban centres. Flash floods and landslides have also been reported in mountainous regions, threatening construction sites, transport infrastructure, aquaculture and agriculture, and affecting social, economic and environmental activities.

Heavy rains have swollen rivers and submerged parts of Đà Nẵng City and nearby Quảng Nam Province under rising floodwaters.

Downpours intensified before dawn on Monday, with the Central Region Hydrometeorological Station reporting between 90mm and 145mm of rain in several wards and communes over just three hours.

In Thăng Bình, rainfall reached 145.6mm, while Hội An saw 90mm and Nông Sơn nearly 80mm.

Water levels on the Vu Gia–Thu Bồn river system, which runs through the heart of the region, climbed sharply overnight, fluctuating around flood warning level 3.

Forecasters warned that widespread inundation is likely over the next 24 hours, particularly in low-lying farmland and riverbank communities.

Parts of Đà Nẵng’s urban wards, including Cẩm Lệ, Hòa Xuân and Ngũ Hành Sơn, are expected to be under as much as one metre of water on Tuesday morning. Rural areas such as Hòa Tiến and Gò Nổi faced even deeper flooding, with levels in some locations exceeding 2.5m.

Emergency situation

Authorities in Lâm Đồng Province have declared a state of emergency after relentless rain triggered landslides and flooding that tore up key mountain roads and paralysed traffic.

The provincial Civil Defence Command estimated total losses at more than VNĐ87 billion (US$3.3 million).

Officials said landslides and subsidence had severely damaged the surface of D’ran Pass between Km262+400 and Km262+530 near Xuân Trường Commune, while similar erosion struck Gia Bắc Pass between Km47+252 and Km53+600 in Sơn Điền Commune.

The ground in both areas remains unstable and further rainfall could trigger new collapses, they warned.

Local authorities have imposed round-the-clock monitoring, sealed off dangerous sections and begun evacuating families from high-risk zones. Police, military units and civil defence forces have been deployed to manage traffic, secure the sites and support rescue operations.

Torrential rain has already claimed lives. At least three people have been confirmed dead, thousands of homes have been flooded or damaged and more than 7,000ha of crops have been destroyed across the province. — VNS