Vietnam Hit by multiple landslides after extreme rainfall, intensifying the human impact

Vietnam has experienced one of its most severe sequences of rainfall-induced hazards in decades, with prolonged storms triggering extensive flooding and more than a dozen landslides across Lam Dong province. Weeks of saturated ground conditions weakened natural and engineered slopes, contributing to rapid failures across hilly terrain. State authorities confirmed at least two fatalities as debris flows and shallow slides disrupted communities, damaged transport links and forced large-scale evacuations. Floodwaters reached depths of up to two metres in some areas, signalling the degree of catchment saturation and limited river conveyance capacity under extreme inflow conditions.

Initial assessments indicate that repeated rainfall events exceeded the infiltration capacity of Vietnam’s deeply weathered soil profiles, which are typically rich in residual clays and lateritic materials. As pore-water pressures increased, shear strength along weathered interfaces reduced significantly, initiating sudden slope failures. Sixteen documented landslides damaged roads, embankments and bridge approaches, underscoring the vulnerability of infrastructure placed along steep valley corridors. These failures align with regional observations that many slopes lack formal stabilisation, structured drainage or reinforcement, making them highly sensitive to intense storm sequences.

Vietnam’s environment ministry reported that 2025 has been the most unusual disaster year since records began, with 21 storms and widespread flooding across 20 major river systems. The scale of landslide activity reinforces the need for improved slope monitoring, rainfall-threshold modelling and targeted stabilisation strategies.