NATURAL DISASTERS IN VIETNAM
Natural hazards include rare earthquakes and occasional typhoons (May to January) with extensive flooding, especially in the Mekong River delta Almost every year Vietnam is devastated by storms, floods and typhoons that kill hundreds people and cause millions of dollars of damage. The problem created by disasters have been exacerbated by logging, erosion and overdevelopment. The Vietnamese army is often put to work doing repair work, fixing dykes, laying sandbags and providing relief and emergency supplies.
An average of 430 people were killed each year by natural disasters between 2007-2011 in Vietnam, with property losses estimated at 1 percent of gross domestic product, Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung told a conference on food security and climate change in Hanoi.
In 2008, natural disasters killed 550 people in Vietnam and caused damage amounting to more than $700 million dollars. In 2004, natural disasters killed 232 people and left 38 missing, injured 187 others, destroyed 4,200 houses and 3,000 hectares of rice, and killed over 2,000 cattle and 170,000 poultryin Vietnam, causing a property loss of over $57 million dollars. [Source: Xinhua, October 12, 2005]
Vietnam's long 3,200-kilometers coastline is battered every year by up to 10 storms, killing hundreds, even thousands of people. Some meteorologist predict that global warming will bring more rain to the region more rain, stronger typhoons and higher sea levels and make the flooding problem worse.
See Dykes, History, Global Warming
See Separate Articles on Floods and Typhoons
Earthquakes in 2001
A magnitude 5.5 earthquake centered off southern Vietnam in November 2001, killed one person after a plank loosened by the shaking fell on his head. Associated Press reported: “A rare earthquake believed to be the strongest in Vietnam in a decade damaged many houses and sent panicked residents into the streets, where they stayed all night to avoid aftershocks, an official said Tuesday. The moderate 5.3-magnitude quake, the worst to hit Lai Chau province since 1983, struck the town of Dien Bien Phu at 10:51 p.m. said Ho Sy Lam of the provincial People's Committee. Aftershocks continued until the next day morning, he said. [Source: Associated Press, February 21, 2001 ]
Many houses were damaged, and several people were injured as they tried to escape from their homes, including some who jumped from balconies, Lam said. There were no reports of deaths. Some schools and office buildings damaged by the quake were closed for inspection, he said. Lam said authorities were still assessing the damage. Dien Bien Phu was the site of a key victory by Vietnamese forces against French colonialist forces in 1954. After the quake, many residents of the town stayed on the streets all night and did not dare to go back into their houses until morning, Lam said. "People in the whole town could not sleep for fear of another quake," he said. Earthquakes occur infrequently in Vietnam. An earthquake expert in Hanoi said the quake was the worst to hit Vietnam in a decade. Damage from Vietnam earthquake estimated at $13 million.
A woman broke several ribs and another received cuts on her face when they fell as panicked residents fled their houses after the quake, said Le Trong Do of the provincial People's Committee. The quake opened cracks in most government office buildings, schools and hospitals in Dien Bien Phu, and in about 80 percent of the town's houses, Do said. He said 20 percent of the homes were so badly damaged that they will need to be demolished. Dien Bien Phu, 500 kilometers northwest of Hanoi, was the site of a famous battle in 1954 in which Vietnamese forces defeated French colonialist troops. It now has a population of 130,000. The earthquake was centered about 20 kilometers west of the town at a depth of 12 kilometers, Do said.
Tornados and Strong Winds in Vietnam
In April 2007, AFP reported: A third tornado has hit Vietnam in less than two weeks, killing a child, injuring 11 people and damaging or destroying 300 houses in the country's far south, local officials said Tuesday. The violent, unseasonal funnel-shaped storm hit the Tran Van Thoi district of Ca Mau province Monday, leaving a trail of destruction, after the previous storms had hit northern and central regions. "A 13-year-old primary school student was killed in this whirlwind which totally or partially destroyed nearly 300 houses," Nguyen Long Hoai, head of the provincial flood and storm control committee, told AFP. "It was an unexpected storm of the kind which rarely happens at the start of the summer raining season here." “The week before , a violent storm killed one man, destroyed 19 houses and unroofed 300 in the northern province of Yen Bai. On April 14 a tornado hit central Quang Nam province, injuring 21 people, collapsing 13 houses and leaving 400 buildings roofless while also toppling trees and electrical poles. [Source: AFP, April 24, 2007]
In August 2012, the Vietnam News reported: “Freak tornadoes swept through three southern provinces early yesterday killing two people, injuring about 75 others and destroying nearly 700 homes. Thousands of people are reported to have been left homeless by the high-speed storms, which lasted for less than half an hour each. In Soc Trang Province, residents reported that two tornadoes struck in one hour, killing one resident and injuring about 59 others. At the same time, in Bac Lieu Province, a tornado took one life and injured another 12. Four residents in Ben Tre Province were also injured by the raging wind. Bac Lieu and Ben Tre provinces have sent rescue forces to help the victims. [Source: Vietnam News, August 2, 2012 \~]
“According to preliminary reports, Soc Trang suffered the worst damage. A total of 110 houses were completely destroyed and another 226 damaged, said a spokesman for the Soc Trang People's Committee. In Ben Tre, a tornado destroyed 43 houses and damaged another 153, said Nguyen Khanh Hoan, head the provincial People's Committee. Head of the Bac Lieu flood and storm control steering committee Lai Thanh An said that in two districts, Phuoc Long and Hong Dan, more than 200 houses were severely damaged by the wind. \~\
“Earlier reports said that 50 homes in the province had also been totally destroyed. He said that in Phu Dong commune, 60 houses were damaged. The exact damage to farming in the province is still being assessed. The three provinces are striving to provide support for victims. One family in Soc Trang who lost a family member will receive VND4.5 million (US$210) from the Government, while those injured will receive VND3 million ($140). Tornadoes are rare localised events in Viet Nam. The compact, rotating winds travel perhaps for 20 to 30 kilometers, but their intensity, like those in the United States, can be severe. \~\
In May 2013, Vietnam News reported: “One person was killed and two injured after a hail storm and twister hit Nam Nhun Town in the nothern province of Lai Chau on Tuesday night. Hundreds of houses collaped or had their roofs torn away while nearly 20 hectares of farm produce was destroyed by the storm.” [Source: Vietnamnews, May 9, 2013]
In December 2010, Associated Press reported: Vietnam says strong winds have left five people dead and 51 others missing in the South China Sea, off the country's coast. The government's disaster agency says the winds triggered by a cold spell caused 22 fishing vessels and a container ship to capsize between over four days. It says three sailors from the container ship and 155 fishermen were rescued. The agency said in a statement that rescuers are searching for the missing, which include 23 sailors from the Vietnamese container ship and 28 local fishermen from three fishing vessels. [Source: Associated Press, December 21, 2010]
Deadly and Destructive Hailstorm in Vietnam
In March 2013, UBAlert reported: “Local officials said 26 people were injured and more than 10,000 homes were damaged during a hail storm that lasted for 20 minutes. Reports said the hail stones that pelted northern Lao Cai province were as large as 8-10 centimeters in diameter. The hail affected 26 communes and towns in the district of Muong Khuong at midnight on Wednesday. Fortunately, there have been no reports of casualties. The disaster rendered thousands of people homeless as their houses were either badly damaged or destroyed. The National Search and Rescue Committee confirmed that 26 people sustained injuries and over 10,500 houses were damaged during the storm. [Source: UBAlert, March 28, 2013 //]
“Meanwhile, another hailstorm hit three districts in the province of Ha Giang, causing damage to 80 houses. Just six days ago, hail and a vortex ripped through Huong Khe District in Ha Tinh Province, where more than 100 houses were damaged. Two days earlier, hail also pounded the mountainous districts in Quang Nam Province as well as the district of Phong Dien in Thua Thien-Hue Province. Meanwhile, the Central Hydro-Meteorological Forecasting Center issued a warning that hails or thunderstorms can hit any area of the country between March and May, which marks the transition period between Vietnam's wet and dry seasons.” //
In November 2006, AFP reported: “Thirteen people were killed in Vietnam when a hail storm hit the northern province Quang Ninh, according to Vietnam state television. Several boats sunk because of heavy rain and strong wind but it was unclear whether there were people on board, the VTV news bulletin said. Hail storms have been reported over the past few days in northern Vietnam, including in the capital Hanoi. Heavy rains have also caused serious flooding. Quang Ninh, 200 kilometers north-east of Hanoi, is famous for its world heritage site, Ha Long Bay.” [Source: AFP, November 21, 2006]
Tourists Among Six Dead as Storm Lashes Vietnam
In August 2000, Reuters reported: “At least six people were killed, two of them Indian tourists, and several reported missing, including a Thai tourist, after tropical storm Kaemi lashed Vietnam's coast, police and officials said. The official Vietnam News newspaper said several fishing boats were reported to have sunk in rough seas off the central coast and another 80 failed to return to shore after the storm hit. Rescue officials said a Vietnamese trawler saved 12 Thai sailors from the Bangluang, who had been in the water since the previous day. The Thai official said he hoped for more details once the Vietnamese trawler carrying the 12 rescued arrived in Ho Chi Minh City. [Source: Reuters, August 23, 2000]
Police said the two Indian tourists drowned after a whirlwind capsized two tour boats in the northern tourist area of Halong Bay, northeast of Hanoi. An officer told Reuters two Vietnamese women and a female Thai tourist were still missing, but 16 other people had been rescued from the boats. He gave no names of the dead tourists. Official media reported four Vietnamese deaths in the central coast area, which is lashed by tropical storms and typhoons every year. A man was electrocuted in the central city of Danang, a child was killed by lightning in Thua Thien Hue province, and in Quang Ngai province a man was swept away in a flood and a woman killed when her house collapsed. An official of the Thai consulate in Ho Chi Minh City in southern Vietnam said 11 Thai sailors were still missing after their cargo vessel sank near the Spratly Islands last week.
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Text Sources: New York Times, Washington Post, Los Angeles Times, Times of London, Lonely Planet Guides, Library of Congress, Vietnamtourism. com, Vietnam National Administration of Tourism, CIA World Factbook, Compton’s Encyclopedia, The Guardian, National Geographic, Smithsonian magazine, The New Yorker, Time, Newsweek, Reuters, AP, AFP, Wall Street Journal, The Atlantic Monthly, The Economist, Global Viewpoint (Christian Science Monitor), Foreign Policy, Wikipedia, BBC, CNN, Fox News and various websites, books and other publications identified in the text.
Last updated May 2014