Floodwaters surge past a house in the northern province of Lai Châu, moments before it collapsed completely. — VNA/VNS Photo

HÀ NỘI — Torrential rains have triggered flooding and landslides across several northern provinces in recent days, damaging crops and infrastructure, as forecasters warn the worst may still be ahead.

The National Centre for Hydro-Meteorological Forecasting said the mountainous and midland areas of the northern region, along with Quảng Ninh Province, will see moderate to heavy rainfall from the evening of July 8 through July 10.

Rainfall is expected to range from 70 to 150 millimetres, with some localised areas receiving more than 300 millimetres, and short, intense bursts could dump over 100 millimetres in as little as three hours.

Forecasters warned the downpours could cause flooding in low-lying areas, urban centres and industrial zones, as well as flash floods along small rivers and streams and landslides on steep slopes.

In response, the National Civil Defence Steering Committee has ordered provincial authorities across the northern provinces to closely monitor weather warnings and pass information quickly down to local governments and residents so they can take precautions.

The committee directed local officials to deploy rapid-response teams to inspect vulnerable areas and evacuate residents living along riverbanks, streams and in low-lying zones at risk of severe flooding, flash floods or landslides.

Authorities were also told to clear blocked drainage channels and keep emergency crews on standby to assist with recovery efforts.

Provinces were further instructed to post guards at flooded roads and submerged low-water crossings and to bar vehicles and pedestrians from any route where safety cannot be guaranteed.

Officials were also ordered to keep personnel and equipment on hand to quickly repair damage to major roads and keep key transportation routes open.

Landslide debris blocks a road in the northern province of Điện Biên after heavy rain. — VNA/VNS Photo

The committee separately called for safety inspections of mineral mines and reservoirs, particularly small hydropower and irrigation dams and other structurally vulnerable reservoirs.

Authorities were told to keep staff on duty around the clock to manage water discharge and respond to any incidents.

Landslide emergency at temple site

Hà Nội's city government has declared a state of emergency over an actively deforming hillside at the Sóc Temple Cultural Tourism Site, a temple and pilgrimage complex in the Sóc Sơn Commune, after weeks of heavy rain destabilised the slope.

The declaration, issued under Municipal Decision 3416, followed prolonged rains in May and a storm with high winds on June 4 that exposed a growing set of warning signs on the hillside above the complex.

At one section, cracks running along the top of the embankment have widened to between 1 and 1.3m and are merging into a single arc roughly 98m long – evidence, officials said, that the entire mass of earth and rock above is sliding downward and reshaping the terrain.

The slope rises 30 to 40m and already shows multiple pockets of collapse, loosened weathered soil and trees toppling as their roots are exposed. Authorities warned that further heavy rain could send that material sliding into a retention lake below.

A second unstable section nearby has seen surface erosion as rainwater sheeting down the slope stripped away topsoil and vegetation, exposing weak ground underneath.

Visitors' cars near the Đền Sóc Temple sit stranded, their wheels half-buried in mud. — Photo laodong.vn

Trees there have also lost root support, and fallen debris now sits close to an access road used by site staff and visitors.

The People's Committee of Hà Nội ordered immediate measures to contain the damage, directing local authorities to monitor weather and ground movement closely and respond under what Vietnamese disaster-management doctrine calls the 'four on-site' principle – a standard protocol requiring on-site command, personnel, supplies and logistics to be ready to respond locally without waiting for outside resources.

Officials were also told to reinforce the slope where possible to slow the spread of the cracks.

The city has ordered warning signs, rope barriers and guards posted around the danger zone, along with public outreach to ensure residents and visitors avoid the area and understand basic landslide safety.

Sóc Sơn Commune has been tasked with ongoing monitoring and emergency stabilisation work, while Department of Agriculture and Environment oversees the broader response and will recommend when conditions allow the emergency declaration to be lifted. — VNS