Heavy rainfall and powerful winds from Typhoon Bualoi resulted in flooding, roof damages, and a minimum of 12 fatalities in central Vietnam. The typhoon later weakened to a tropical storm and moved into Laos on Monday. The storm wreaked havoc on communities, causing destruction to houses, schools, and power infrastructure, while also washing away temporary bridges and inundating roads and low-water crossings in multiple provinces. City streets were submerged under floodwaters, and highland areas were isolated as a result.
State media reported that rescue teams were actively searching for 17 missing fishermen. By midmorning, the storm’s center was situated over land near the Nghe An province and Laos border with wind speeds reaching 74 km/h. Subsequently, the storm penetrated deep into Laos in the afternoon, downgrading to a tropical depression with winds ranging from 39 to 61 km/h, as confirmed by the National Center for Hydro-Meteorological Forecasting.
Prior to the storm’s impact, Vietnamese authorities took precautions by grounding fishing vessels and halting operations at four coastal airports. The province of Ninh Binh suffered the most with nine fatalities, primarily due to collapsing houses caused by strong winds. Tragically, a local official in Thanh Hoa province lost his life when a tree fell on him during storm preparations, while another person was swept away by floodwaters in Hue City. Additionally, one fatality was reported in Danang.
In Quang Tri province, the storm’s strong winds broke the anchor ropes of a sheltering fishing boat, leading to the vessel and nine crew members drifting away, with four individuals managing to swim to safety. Families in Gia Lai province also reported losing contact with eight fishermen who were out on a fishing trip.
The storm left over 347,000 households without power before making landfall shortly after midnight on Sunday. Destructive gusts tore roofs off homes and toppled concrete pillars along highways. Residents in Phong Nha experienced severe winds and relentless rainfall, prompting evacuations in central and northern provinces as the storm advanced faster than expected. Typhoon Bualoi made landfall in the northern coastal province of Ha Tinh, introducing winds exceeding 133 km/h, storm surges surpassing a meter, and heavy precipitation.
Before affecting Vietnam, Typhoon Bualoi had claimed at least 20 lives in the Philippines, primarily due to drownings and falling trees, while also causing power outages in numerous areas. Thousands of families were evacuated to emergency shelters. This marked the second significant storm in Asia within a week, following Typhoon Ragasa, which led to casualties in the Philippines, Taiwan, and China before dissipating over Vietnam.
Experts attribute the intensification of storms, such as Typhoon Bualoi, to global warming, which fuels tropical storms with increased energy from warmer oceans. This phenomenon results in stronger winds, heavier rainfall, and altered precipitation patterns across East Asia.
