Heavy rains, floodings continue in north Vietnam in Yagi's wake

SINGAPORE (ICIS)–Heavy rains and floodings continued in northern Vietnam on Monday, two days since Super Typhoon Yagi made landfall in the region and killed more than 20 people.

Bridge collapses in Phu Tho province Industrial hubs in the north hit by power outage No reported disruptions to petrochemical operations in central/south Vietnam

There was massive damage wrought to infrastructure in the northern region, with the Phong Chau bridge in Phu Tho province collapsing early on Monday, sending multiple vehicles plunging into the Red River and severing the connection between Lam Thao and Tam Nong districts.

Yagi – Asia’s most powerful storm this year – made landfall along the coasts of Vietnam’s Quang Ninh and Haiphong provinces in the afternoon of 7 September, bringing winds of up to 160 kilometers/hour.

Yagi weakened into a tropical depression on 8 September making landfall but left several areas of the port city of Hai Phong under half a meter of water in its wake.

There were no reports of disruptions or damage to the country’s major petrochemical complexes – Long Son in the southern province of Ba Ria – Vung Tau; the Dung Quat petrochemical complex in Quang Ngai province in the central region; and the Nghi Son petrochemical complex in Thanh Hoa province in north-central Vietnam.

The storm has killed 22 people and injured 199 others, while 32 people were missing, Vietnamese state media cited National Committee for Disaster Response and Search and Rescue as saying late on 8 September.

Up to 38 ships in Quang Ninh have sunk while some 4,350 houses were damaged because of Yagi, with up to 52,371 hectares of crops flooded.

A massive power outage initially hit Quang Ninh and Haiphong provinces upon Yagi’s landfall, leaving at least three million people without power.

These provinces are crucial industrial hubs and home to multiple factories producing goods for global markets, such as Vietnam’s VinFast’s electric vehicles.

Vietnam evacuated more than 50,000 people from coastal towns and deployed 450,000 military personnel due to Yagi.

Prior to reaching Vietnam, Typhoon Yagi swept through southern China and the Philippines, claiming the lives of at least 24 people and injuring dozens more.

The storm earlier made landfall in China’s Hainan province on 6 September, knocking down trees, flooding streets, and leaving over 800,000 homes without electricity.

Transportations of chemical cargoes in southern China’s Hainan province were halted since 5 September ahead of Yagi.

Focus article by Nurluqman Suratman

Additional reporting by Fanny Zhang

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