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OVERVIEW
On 7 September, Typhoon Yagi made landfall in northern Viet Nam, bringing maximum sustained winds of up to 210km/hour. Yagi is the strongest typhoon Viet Nam has seen in 30 years (ECHO 09/09/2024 and 08/09/2024; IFRC/VRC 15/09/2024). The typhoon affected nearly half (27) of Viet Nam’s 58 provinces. Impacts were particularly severe in the northeastern, coastal Hai Phong and Quang Ninh provinces, alongside Hai Duong, Hanoi, Hoa Binh, Lao Cai, Son La, and Thai Binh, collectively home to 19 million people (around 20% of Viet Nam’s nearly 100 million population) (UNICEF 09/09/2024; OCHA 09/09/2024; Govt. of Viet Nam 2023 b). By 15 September, Lao Cai, Tuyen Quang, and Yen Bai provinces had declared states of emergency (IFRC/VRC 15/09/2024).
Heavy rainfall until at least 12 September caused additional flooding and landslides, including in Bac Giang, Hanoi, Lao Cai, Thai Nguyen, Tuyen Quang, and Yen Bai provinces, most of which have mountainous terrain and communities that are difficult to access (OCHA/UNCT Viet Nam 12/09/2024 and 14/09/2024; IFRC/VRC 15/09/2024).
By 16 September, the typhoon and subsequent floods and landslides had killed nearly 300 people, left nearly 40 missing, and injured over 1,900. Casualty figures are expected to increase in the coming days as access to more remote, mountainous areas improves (ECHO 17/09/2024; OCHA/UNCT Viet Nam 18/09/2024; OCHA 15/09/2024). Humanitarian needs are likely to be particularly high among marginalised rural communities and ethnic minorities, who generally have higher livelihood, health, shelter, WASH, education, and other needs. Ethnic minorities comprise over 55% of the 12.5 million people living in Viet Nam’s Northern Midlands and Mountains region, where 14 of the 27 typhoon-affected provinces are located (Govt. of Viet Nam 2020; Open Development Viet Nam 30/03/2019).
The typhoon has aggravated prior damage and needs from monsoon flooding in northern Viet Nam since May 2024. In August 2024 alone, heavy rainfall, floods, and landslides caused casualties and damaged homes, infrastructure, and agricultural land in northern provinces also later affected by Typhoon Yagi, including Bac Kan, Cao Bang, Dien Bien, Ha Giang, Hanoi, Hoa Binh, Lang Son, Lao Cai, Nghe An, Quang Ninh, Son La, Thai Nguyen, Tuyen Quang, Vinh Phuc, and Yen Bai. While the extent to which this damage has been repaired is unknown, access and resource constraints in more remote parts of these provinces have likely prevented rapid repairs (ECHO 30/08/2024, 22/08/2024, 07/08/2024, 01/08/2024, 19/06/2024, 11/06/2024, and 02/05/2024; AHA Centre 24/08/2024 a and 24/08/2024 b).