Vietnam has suffered from horrific floods in the last few years.
In 2008 over 60 people were believed to have been killed by flooding which affected the north and central areas of the country. These floods also affected southern parts of China and were a result of unusually heavy rainfall – the worst in 24 years – which began in October 2008. 15,000 families were displaced. The floods caused untold damage across the region, with agriculture (crops and fish farming) being particularly badly hit.
In 2009 Vietnam was hit by flooding as a result of typhoon Ketsana. The typhoon caused destruction across south east Asia (see our post on the Philippines here) and hit the crntral provinces of Vietnam in September 2009. As a result, about 170,000 people were displaced. Storms and huge rainfall caused destruction acorss the central provinces, killing at least 163 people, injuring over 600 and causing almost $800 million of damage to proerty, agriculture and industry.
In 2010 heavy monsoon rains during October again in Vietnam’s central provinces resulted in as many as 30 deaths. The year after, in 2011, between September and December (the monsoon season), the Mekong delta region of Vietnam was badly hit by flooding. The 2011 floods were the worst to hit for 11 years. 85 people lost their lives and around 13,000 families displaced. Many were still living in temporary shelters more than 6 months on. Again agriculture was badly hit, with over 11,000 acres of rice fields ruined.
These floods were different to the 2008 floods in that the flooding grew more slowly. This wasn’t a flash flood, but by the end covered a vast area of the Mekong Delta, with the Vietnamese provinces of An Giang, Dong Thap, Long An, Can Tho, Vinh Long, Hau Giang and Kien Giang all affected.
Also in 2011 Vietnam’s central provinces also suffered from flooding. The death toll here is believed to be around 100 people, with 30,000 people needing to be evacuated from the homes. These floods were well known for hitting the UNESCO World Heritage sites of Hoi An and Hue, one of Vietnam’s oldest cities.
In 2012 Tyohoon Kai-Tak killed around 27 people in the northern provinces of the country. Around 12,000 homes were damaged by the storm and ensuing floods, with over 56,000 acres of crops and farmland ruined.
Matthew_Brookes
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It was interesting to read where a lot of these floods happened. I would have thought most would be around the Mekong Delta, but actually many of the floods seem to happen further north.