The 2025 Northern Vietnam floods were a series of floods that affected Vietnam, particularly Northern Vietnam and parts of the North Central Coast, between 25 September and 16 October 2025, resulting from the combined impacts of three tropical cyclones and several other weather phenomena.
Heavy rainfall began on 25 September in northern Vietnam due to the impact of Typhoon Ragasa as it made landfall in Quảng Ninh province according to the National Center for Hydro-Meteorological Forecasting (NCHMF). The rain was subsequently intensified by an intertropical convergence zone, extending southward to the North Central Coast the following day. On 28 and 29 September, Typhoon Bualoi made landfall in Hà Tĩnh province, bringing extremely heavy rain that continued over northern Vietnam and the North Central Coast until 1 October. Shortly afterward, Typhoon Matmo moved across the Vietnam–China border area, bringing widespread rainfall to northern Vietnam from 6 to 8 October before dissipating inland. The period concluded with another spell of heavy rain between 13 and 15 October, caused by a weak cold surge interacting with an easterly disturbance. Several rainfall stations recorded historic precipitation levels during these events. Prolonged heavy rain led to rapid rises in river levels across the northern and north-central regions, with many rivers reaching Alert Level 3, the highest flood warning threshold in Vietnam’s flood warning system. On the Thương and Cầu river basins, which form part of the upper Thái Bình river system, some stations registered record-breaking flood peaks. Extensive flooding occurred in many provinces, particularly Thái Nguyên, Bắc Ninh, Lạng Sơn, and Cao Bằng. In Hanoi, torrential rain on 30 September and 7 October caused widespread urban flooding. Numerous dyke and dam failures were also reported, most notably the collapse of the Bắc Khê hydropower dam in Lạng Sơn province.
This flood event, combined with typhoons Ragasa, Bualoi, and Matmo, caused severe damage to both life and property. Including the effects of the storms, the total economic losses were estimated at 35.7 trillion VND (US$1.42 billion), with 85 people dead or missing. Due to the severe impacts of the disaster, the Vietnamese government called for donations and support from both domestic and international communities.
Background and preparations According to Vietnam’s meteorological authorities, 2025 was identified as a neutral ENSO year, with forecasts predicting 8 to 11 tropical storms and depressions forming over the South China Sea between August and October, of which 4 to 5 were expected to affect the mainland, mainly in central Vietnam. Since June 2025, the country had already experienced three major storm and flood events: the first from 10 to 13 June, caused indirectly by Tropical Storm Wutip, which brought record rainfall to parts of the central region; the second in late July under the influence of Tropical Storm Wipha; and the third in late August, associated with tropical cyclones Kajiki and Nongfa.
In September 2025, before the formation of Ragasa, tropical cyclones Tapah and Mitag developed over the South China Sea but made landfall in China, without directly affecting Vietnam. On 20 September, as Mitag weakened over land in China, Vietnamese forecasters reported the development of a new system that would later become Typhoon Ragasa, expected to intensify into a super typhoon and potentially impact northern and north-central Vietnam between 24 and 26 September. Late on 22 September, Ragasa entered the South China Sea with maximum sustained winds assessed by NCHMF to be at super typhoon threshold. Nguyễn Hoàng Hiệp, Vietnam’s Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Environment, described Ragasa as the strongest typhoon ever recorded by the country over the South China Sea.
On 23 September, the Vietnamese government issued an official telegram to prepare for Ragasa and warned of possible subsequent storms and flooding. According to Vietnam's meteorological authorities, Ragasa weakened below super typhoon intensity on 24 September and continued to lose intensity as it neared Móng Cái, Quảng Ninh province. Meanwhile, Bualoi developed east of the Philippines and tracked westward toward the South China Sea, with domestic forecasts indicating a potential impact on Vietnam and heavy rainfall. The government subsequently issued a series of official directives and telegrams in late September and early October in response to Bualoi, Matmo, and the ensuing floods.Multiple sources:
Effects
On 25 September, Ragasa moved into the coastal waters of Quảng Ninh province and weakened into a tropical depression before making landfall and further dissipating into a low-pressure area. The storm’s remnant circulation, followed by the influence of an intertropical convergence zone, brought widespread heavy rainfall across the northern provinces beginning on the same day.
Three days later, on 28 September, Bualoi made landfall in Hà Tĩnh province–northern Quảng Trị province, producing another episode of extensive heavy rainfall that persisted until 1 October. According to Vietnam’s meteorological authorities, accumulated rainfall during this period generally ranged from to , while southern Sơn La, southern Phú Thọ, Lào Cai, and Hanoi recorded totals between and . From Thanh Hóa to Huế, rainfall reached , with Thanh Hóa–Nghệ An and Huế experiencing , and some locations exceeding .
Several sites reported exceptionally high totals, including Tà Si Láng (Lào Cai) , Km46 (Sơn La) , Ngọc Sơn (Phú Thọ) , Xuân Bình (Thanh Hóa) , Cẩm Liên 2 (Thanh Hóa) , Mỹ Sơn 1 (Nghệ An) , Hủa Na (Nghệ An) , Sơn Hồng 1 (Hà Tĩnh) , Đức Hóa (Quảng Trị) , Bạch Mã (Huế) , and Quan Tượng Đài (Huế) . Seven rainfall stations recorded daily precipitation maxima exceeding their historical September records on 29 and 30 September.
In the early morning of 6 October, Matmo made landfall in Guangxi, China, before moving into the Vietnam–China border region. The northern and north-central provinces again experienced widespread heavy rain. Particularly in the northeastern region, as well as southern Tuyên Quang, Thái Nguyên, and Hanoi, rainfall totals ranged from to , locally exceeding ; Thái Nguyên province recorded , with some locations above . Notable totals included Quyết Thắng (Lạng Sơn) , Hồng An (Cao Bằng) , Ghềnh Gà (Tuyên Quang) , Gia Bảy (Thái Nguyên) , Hóa Thượng (Thái Nguyên) , Thái Nguyên city , Bố Hạ (Bắc Ninh) , Xuân Hương (Bắc Ninh) , Sóc Sơn (Hanoi) , and Láng (Hanoi) . At the Thái Nguyên and Bắc Giang meteorological stations, record-breaking daily rainfall totals of and were observed on 7 October, surpassing not only previous October records but also the highest daily rainfall values ever measured at those sites.
From 13 to 16 October, northern Vietnam experienced yet another round of heavy rainfall, caused by the interaction of a weak cold surge with easterly winds on the southern periphery of a subtropical ridge. Significant totals were recorded at Tiên Yên (Quảng Ninh) , Đông Long (Hưng Yên) , and Mỹ Lộc (Hưng Yên) . In Haiphong, localized rainfall exceeded on 14 October.
Flood levels + Vietnamflood warningscale Alert Level 3 Alert Level 2 Alert Level 1 Below AL1 All times in this section are in Indochina Time (ICT) unless noted otherwise.
Widespread heavy rainfall produced by the combined effects of three typhoons and an intertropical convergence zone over the northern and north-central provinces of Vietnam triggered a major flood across the river systems in these regions. Beginning on 27 September, river levels in northern Vietnam began to rise. The Tuyên Quang Reservoir opened eight bottom gates, the Thác Bà Reservoir opened three surface gates, and the Hòa Bình Reservoir opened two bottom gates to regulate flow. On the Red River system, the flood crest on the Lô River at Hà Giang reached , exceeding Alert Level 3 on Vietnam's three-level flood warning system by and surpassing the historic 1969 flood peak by on 1 October. On the Thao River, the peak water level at Lào Cai was at 05:00 on 30 September, below Alert Level 3. At Yên Bái, the flood peak reached at 11:00 on the same day, above Alert Level 3. The Red River at the Hanoi station crested at on the morning of 2 October, corresponding to Alert Level 1. On the Tích and Bùi Rivers, water levels remained at Alert Level 3 for several days until 5 October. By 13 October, floodwaters on the Tích River in Hanoi had receded to slightly above Alert Level 1, while the Bùi, Nhuệ, and Đáy Rivers had fallen below that threshold. In Ninh Bình province, on 1 October, flood levels on the Đáy, Hoàng Long, Đào, and Ninh Cơ Rivers also surpassed Alert Level 3.
+Record-breaking flood levels during the 2025 Northern Vietnam floods (relative to sea level)River systemRiverStationPrior peak2025 peakRed River systemLô RiverHà Giang(Tuyên Quang)105.57 m(1969)106.47 m(1 October)Ngòi Hút RiverNgòi Hút(Lào Cai)55.68m(2018)56.60m(30 September)Ngòi Thia RiverNgòi Thia(Lào Cai)48.50m(1968)48.56m(29 September)Mã River systemBưởi RiverKim Tân(Thanh Hóa)14.25 m(2007)14.33 m(1 October)Cầu Chày riverNgọc Lặc(Thanh Hóa)30.40 m(2012)31.30 m(29 September)Mã RiverCẩm Thủy(Thanh Hóa)22.20 m(2018)22.25 m(29 September)Kỳ Cùng –Bằng Giangriver systemBằng RiverBằng Giang(Cao Bằng)184.84 m(1986)185.79 m(7 October)Thái Bìnhriver systemTrung RiverHữu Lũng(Lạng Sơn)22.54 m(1986)24.31 m(8 October)Thương RiverCầu Sơn(Bắc Ninh)17.42 m(2008)18.37 m(9 October)Phủ Lạng Thương(Bắc Ninh)7.52 m(1986)7.60 m(9 October)Cầu RiverGia Bảy(Thái Nguyên)28.81 m(2024)29.90 m(8 October)Chã(Thái Nguyên)11.02 m(1971)12.02 m(9 October)Phúc Lộc Phương(Bắc Ninh)9.40 m(2024)9.98 m(9 October)Cà Lồ RiverMạnh Tân(Hanoi)9.34 m(2024)9.75 m(10 October)Other riversYên RiverChuối(Thanh Hóa)4.47 m(1978)4.92 m(29 September) On the Thái Bình river system, during 2–3 October, the Cầu River at Đáp Cầu and the Thương River at Phủ Lạng Thương reached or approached Alert Level 3, while the Thái Bình River at Phả Lại rose to Alert Level 2. A week later, the upper reaches of the Thái Bình system recorded historic flood values. On 8 October, the Cầu River at Gia Bảy peaked at , exceeding the 2024 Yagi typhoon flood record by . The same day, the Thương River at Hữu Lũng (Lạng Sơn province) crested at at 14:00, exceeding the 1986 historic flood level of by . On 9 October, new records were also set at Phủ Lạng Thương and Phúc Lộc Phương: the Thương River reached at Phủ Lạng Thương, surpassing the 1986 flood, while the Cầu River rose to , above the 1971 record. Phúc Lộc Phương peaked at , exceeding the 2024 record. At Cầu Sơn, the Thương River reached , above the 2008 record. In the Cầu River basin near Hanoi, the first flood peak on the Cầu and Cà Lồ Rivers occurred on 3 October. A second peak followed on the Cà Lồ River at Mạnh Tân, reaching on 10 October, above the 2024 record, while the Cầu River at Lương Phúc peaked at ( above Alert Level 3) on 9 October. By 13 October, the Alert Level 3 warning was lifted for the Thương River at Phủ Lạng Thương, and Alert Level 2 warnings were withdrawn for the Cầu River at Đáp Cầu and Phúc Lộc Phương (Bắc Ninh), as well as for the Cầu and Cà Lồ Rivers at Lương Phúc and Mạnh Tân (Hanoi). On 14 October, only three stations were still reporting water levels above Alert Level 1. By 16 October, the Thương River at Phủ Lạng Thương had fallen below Alert Level 1, leaving only Cầu Sơn still slightly above that mark.
On the Bằng Giang River at Cao Bằng, flood levels broke records twice during this event. On 1 October, the river crested at , surpassing the 1986 record of . At 23:00 on 7 October, it rose again to , above the 1986 peak.