By ANIRUDDHA GHOSAL
HANOI, Vietnam (AP) — At least four people were killed after heavy rains, floods and landslides inundated more than 16,000 homes in northern and central Vietnam, authorities said Friday.
Large areas remain flooded, although rain that has fallen in the region since Monday stopped Thursday afternoon. Floodwater continued to cover highways and low-lying areas, disrupting traffic and daily life.
Vietnam is among the world’s most climate-vulnerable countries and is prone to flooding, with a long typhoon-prone coastline and large populations living in low-lying areas and coastal cities. Climate risks like rising seas and more extreme rainfall compound these vulnerabilities.
A series of severe storms last year spurred the country to find new ways to prepare for and manage floods.
On Friday, state media said authorities in Hanoi found the body of a university student who had been missing since Thursday. His body was found at the entrance to a drainage system leading toward a river in the city’s southwest.
Residents had found the blue motorbike of the first-year student at Hanoi University of Mining and Geology near the sewer entrance. He is suspected of being swept into a sewer during flooding caused by heavy rain.
Three other people were killed by a landslide in Da Bac area of the largely rural Phu Tho province, northwest of Hanoi on Thursday evening, state media said.
The Bui River, which runs through rural areas southwest of Hanoi, had risen to dangerous levels on Thursday and dozens of households have been cut off, state media said. Authorities have evacuated 150 families with over 500 people from low-lying areas.
Local authorities have activated disaster response and search-and-rescue plans.
More than 16,000 homes were inundated, with Thanh Hoa and Ninh Binh provinces among the worst hit.
The floods also submerged more than 24,000 hectares (59,305 acres) of rice, vegetables and other crops. Another 1,176 hectares (2,900 acres) of aquaculture areas were affected.
Vietnam was hit by repeated severe flooding in 2025.
Tropical Storm Wipha brought heavy rain and flooding in July, followed by more flooding and landslides in August when Tropical Storm Kajiki struck. Typhoon Bualoi killed at least 26 in September. In October, the historic cities of Hue and Hoi An in central Vietnam flooded, along with much of northern Vietnam.
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