Key Points
- 14 people confirmed dead and 13 still missing after Typhoon Bualoi strikes Vietnam, with 46 others injured
- Ninh Binh Province hardest hit with 6 fatalities, 7 injuries, 10 collapsed houses and 10 damaged rooftops
- Infrastructure severely damaged including 30 downed power poles, uprooted trees, and destroyed rice fields
- Thermal power plant crippled in Ha Tinh province with coal storage roof collapse requiring months of repairs
- Tenth typhoon of 2025 following devastating Typhoon Ragasa earlier this month
- Emergency protocols activated with fishing vessels moved to safety and rescue teams on standby
New Delhi: Typhoon Bualoi has unleashed catastrophic damage across Vietnam’s northern and central regions, with Ninh Binh Province emerging as the epicenter of destruction. The provincial authorities confirmed six fatalities and seven injuries, while local infrastructure suffered devastating blows with 10 houses completely collapsed and another 10 structures losing their rooftops to the typhoon’s ferocious winds.
The provincial Department of Agriculture and Environment reported extensive agricultural damage, with vast rice fields destroyed just before the harvest season. Approximately 30 electrical poles were toppled, leaving thousands of residents without power and disrupting communication networks across rural communities.
Missing Persons Crisis in Central Provinces
Search and rescue operations continue across Quang Tri and Gia Lai provinces, where 17 people remained missing as of Monday morning according to the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment. The challenging terrain in these mountainous regions has complicated rescue efforts, with heavy rainfall making roads impassable and increasing the risk of further landslides.
Local authorities have deployed additional rescue teams equipped with specialized equipment to reach isolated communities. The missing persons include both residents who failed to evacuate in time and rescue workers who became trapped during initial response operations.
Fatal Weather-Related Incidents Across Multiple Cities
Hue City and Thanh Hoa Province each recorded one fatality due to falling trees and flood-related incidents. The deaths occurred as residents attempted to navigate flooded streets and clear debris from their properties during the storm’s peak intensity.
The most significant infrastructure damage occurred at a thermal power plant in Ha Tinh province, where torrential rains and powerful winds caused the complete collapse of a coal storage facility roof around 10 p.m. Sunday evening. Plant officials estimate that repairs could take several months, potentially affecting regional power supply during the upcoming winter season.
Vietnam’s Unprecedented 2025 Typhoon Season
Typhoon Bualoi represents the tenth major storm system to impact Vietnam in 2025, following the destructive path of Typhoon Ragasa earlier this month. This unprecedented frequency of severe weather events has stretched emergency response resources and highlighted the country’s vulnerability to climate change impacts.
The meteorological pattern shows an unusual concentration of powerful typhoons affecting Vietnam’s northern and central coastal regions, traditionally less impacted than the southern provinces. Climate experts suggest this shift may be linked to changing ocean temperatures and atmospheric conditions in the South China Sea.
Emergency Response and Preparedness Measures
Vietnamese authorities have implemented comprehensive emergency protocols across affected provinces. Local governments received explicit instructions to maintain continuous weather monitoring, ensure fishing vessels remain in protected harbors, and keep rescue teams with necessary equipment on immediate standby.
Provincial administrators must submit regular situation reports to relevant ministries, enabling coordinated national response efforts. The government has also established temporary evacuation centers for displaced residents and mobilized medical teams to treat the injured.
Agricultural and Economic Impact Assessment
The agricultural sector faces severe losses with extensive rice field destruction occurring during the critical pre-harvest period. Farmers in affected provinces may lose entire seasonal crops, potentially affecting local food security and rural livelihoods for months ahead.
The power infrastructure damage, combined with the thermal plant incident, raises concerns about electricity supply stability across central Vietnam. Industrial operations and urban services may face disruptions while repair crews work to restore damaged transmission lines and generating capacity.
This latest typhoon disaster underscores Vietnam’s ongoing struggle with increasingly severe weather events and the urgent need for enhanced disaster preparedness infrastructure to protect vulnerable coastal and mountain communities from future storms.
