Heavy Rainfall Sparks Deadly Landslides, Widespread Flooding, and Travel Chaos Across Central Vietnam

A Region Hit Again by Relentless Rain

Heavy rain swept across central Vietnam on Monday, striking a region that had already endured weeks of flooding from record rainfall and the powerful typhoon Kalmaegi. The downpours fell with force through the night, loosening soil on steep mountain corridors and filling lowland streets with fast-moving water. In Huế, Vietnam the sky turned a deep gray before daybreak, and residents watched the hillsides darken under moving sheets of rain. One man described the moment plainly: “The water came fast. It pushed against the doors, and the road vanished."

Rainfall totals through Wednesday were expected to reach 30 to 60 centimeters in several provinces, with isolated areas likely to exceed 85 centimeters. Each new hour of rain weakened hillsides already saturated from previous storms. The ground simply gave way.

Catastrophic Landslide on the Khanh Le Pass

The worst incident came Sunday night in the hard-hit province of Khanh Hoa, Vietnam, where earth and rocks collapsed onto a bus traveling through the Khanh Le pass. The narrow road, carved 33 kilometers along steep mountainsides, is known for both its scenic beauty and its instability during the rainy season. At around 9:30 p.m., the hillside ruptured.

The landslide crushed the front of the bus and trapped many of the 32 passengers inside. Six people were killed. Two bodies remained pinned beneath debris hours after rescue teams arrived. They struggled through the night as heavy rain triggered more landslides on both sides of the pass, blocking access.

Nguyen Long Cuong, the 39-year-old bus conductor, described the moment the slope collapsed. “Rocks and soil fell down with a loud bang. I was thrown on the roof of the bus before falling down." His voice carried the shock of a man who had been inside the dark, twisting road when it broke apart.

Passengers had departed from Ho Chi Minh City and were traveling from Da Lat toward the coastal city of Nha Trang. The injured were taken to nearby hospitals once rescuers finally reached them past midnight.

More Deadly Slides in Khanh Hoa

Elsewhere in Khanh Hoa Province, waterlogged soil collapsed on 10 workers at the Khanh Son pass. One worker died and another was injured, while a third remained missing. Seven others fled to safety as the hillside slumped. The workers had been clearing debris from earlier rainfall when a second wave of unstable earth shifted.

Multiple landslides also struck major routes across the Central Highlands, cutting off mountain passes and halting transportation. The storm left behind scattered rocks, mud, and broken trees along high-elevation roads.

Flooding Strands Passengers and Floods Industrial Zones

Flooding rapidly expanded across low-lying coastal areas. In Cam Ranh, Vietnam and the neighboring district of Cam Lam, floodwaters submerged more than 100 meters of railway tracks. Over 800 passengers on four trains remained stranded by Monday evening, unable to continue their journeys. A woman waiting aboard one of the stopped trains told local reporters, “The rain kept falling. The tracks disappeared under brown water."

Water inundated the Du Long Industrial Park on Monday, overwhelming factories operated by German and South Korean companies. Floodwaters reached one meter deep, forcing power cuts and halting production for thousands of workers.

Across the Central Highlands, more roads disappeared under runoff. Police in Dak Lak closed a national highway as torrents of water rolled across the pavement. Workers stood in the rain redirecting trucks into long detours.

Landslides Block Highways and Isolate Communities

In the city of Hue, landslides triggered by Sunday’s rain blocked the major national highway that links northern and southern Vietnam. Several villages were completely cut off. Thousands of residents found themselves isolated as emergency crews attempted to clear debris from mountain passes.

In Quang Ngai Province, rainfall between 150 and 235 millimeters collapsed a bridge spanning a small stream. The sudden failure stranded 1,200 people in remote hamlets. One resident described watching the structure give way. “The river kept rising. Then the bridge just cracked and fell."

A Tornado Adds to the Destruction

As the rain spread east, a tornado swept through southern areas of Danang, Vietnam and Quang Ngai Province on Sunday night. Winds tore roofs from houses, uprooted trees and threw debris across neighborhoods. Sheets of corrugated metal scattered across yards. Branches snapped and fell into quiet streets already filled with runoff. The city went dark.

Residents stood outside in the rain looking at ruined rooftops. One woman said, “The wind came without warning. It sounded like the whole house was shaking."

A Country Extremely Vulnerable to Flooding

Vietnam remains one of the world’s most flood-prone nations, with nearly half of its population living in high-risk regions. The repeated storms of recent weeks underscored that vulnerability. As scientists warn that a warming climate is intensifying rainfall across Southeast Asia, the storms and landslides are becoming more destructive and more frequent.

The rain continued through the night. The ground stayed saturated. And the risk lingered across the center of the country.