Vietnam’s capital, Hanoi, has evacuated thousands of residents living near the Red River as its waters reached a 20-year high, flooding streets in the aftermath of Typhoon Yagi. The typhoon, Asia’s most powerful this year, hit the country’s northern regions, leaving at least 155 dead and triggering widespread devastation.
Typhoon Yagi made landfall on Saturday, bringing strong winds and heavy rainfall as it moved westward. The storm caused a bridge collapse and widespread destruction across provinces along the Red River, the region’s largest waterway. “My home is now part of the river,” said Nguyen Van Hung, 56, a resident of a neighborhood on the Red River’s banks.
The Vietnamese government reported that the typhoon, along with subsequent landslides and floods, has resulted in 155 fatalities, with 141 people still missing. The state-run power utility EVN announced on Wednesday that it had cut power in some flooded areas of the capital due to safety concerns.
The Red River is at its highest level in two decades, according to Mai Van Khiem, director of the National Center for Hydro-Meteorological Forecasting. More rainfall is expected in the coming days. Schools in Hanoi have advised students to stay home, and thousands of residents from low-lying areas have been evacuated.
In the city center, the Blue Dragon Children’s Foundation evacuated its office on Tuesday amid flood warnings. “People were moving frantically, relocating items and motorbikes,” said spokesperson Carlota Torres Lliro, expressing concern for children and families living in makeshift riverside homes.
EVN also halted the discharge of water from the Hoa Binh hydropower dam, Vietnam’s second-largest in the north, into the Da River, a tributary of the Red River, to reduce water flow. Vietnamese authorities voiced concerns about Chinese hydropower plants releasing water into another Red River tributary, the Lo River.
Typhoon Yagi has also heavily impacted industrial hubs east of Hanoi, disrupting global supply chains. Factories and warehouses have been flooded, forcing closures, with some operations expected to resume only after several weeks. In northern provinces, landslides triggered by flooding have killed dozens.
In Thai Nguyen, about 60 kilometers from Hanoi, residents reported severe flooding. “My house’s first floor is completely underwater,” said Nguyen Duc Tam, a local resident, who also noted a lack of fresh water and electricity. Another resident, Hoang Hai Luan, remarked that he had not seen such severe flooding in more than 20 years. Many residents have lost their belongings in the disaster.
Despite the widespread devastation, a Reuters witness reported no signs of flooding at Samsung Electronics’ large facility on the outskirts of Hanoi, where half of its global smartphone shipments are produced.