Vietnam Reels as Typhoon Bualoi Slams Central Coast, Leaving Families, Businesses and Authorities in Crisis

Hà Nội, Vietnam was thrust into emergency mode this week as Typhoon Bualoi, one of the fiercest storms to hit the region in recent years, carved a destructive path across the country’s central coast. With winds topping 130 kilometers per hour and waves surging as high as eight meters, the storm forced tens of thousands from their homes, shuttered airports and left a growing death toll in its wake.

By Monday morning, state media confirmed at least 12 dead and 17 still missing. Entire neighborhoods were left submerged, homes ripped open by winds and key highways reduced to rivers of mud and debris. Families like the Nguyễns of Quảng Nam Province, saw the storm’s arrival like a freight train. “We grabbed what we could and ran when the police came with loudspeakers. We don’t know if our house is still standing.” said Nguyễn Thị Hoa, clutching her two children in a crowded evacuation shelter.

The typhoon hit at the heart of harvest season, when rice fields and fishing fleets are most vulnerable. Along Vietnam’s central provinces, farmers now face the prospect of ruined crops, while coastal fishing communities count the cost of lost boats and gear, which are essential lifelines in an already fragile economy.

The storm also fractured the rhythm of daily life. Schools closed indefinitely, weddings were postponed, and hospitals scrambled to keep generators running as power lines crumpled under the wind. “It is not just the physical loss, but the emotional shock. Children are crying for their parents, and the elderly are in shock watching everything they built swept away”, said a Red Cross volunteer in Đà Nẵng.

The Vietnamese government moved swiftly in the face of the storm, ordering the evacuation of more than 150,000 people, grounding flights at several regional airports, and deploying thousands of troops to reinforce dikes, clear roads, and deliver food supplies. Prime Minister Phạm Minh Chính convened an emergency meeting, urging ministries to “place the safety of the people above all else.”

The crisis has become a test of the government’s disaster preparedness, particularly in an era of increasingly severe weather linked to climate change. Social media lit up with images of military trucks carrying evacuees and of soldiers wading waist-deep in floodwaters to rescue stranded families. But it also carried frustration, with residents criticizing uneven rescue efforts and warning that relief aid often arrives too late for those in remote villages.

Beyond the immediate human toll, Typhoon Bualoi ripples through Vietnam’s economy. Industrial hubs in central provinces suspending operations, while tourism, which is a cornerstone of local livelihoods, ground to a halt as hotels closed and beach resorts sustained damage. Analysts warn that supply chains could see temporary disruption, particularly in textiles and seafood exports.

Small businesses, often the backbone of local communities, face an uncertain future. “I just reopened my café after COVID-19 losses,” said Trần Văn Bình, a café owner in Huế. “Now the roof is gone, the equipment is ruined. I don’t know if I can start again.”

Community solidarity, long a hallmark of Vietnamese resilience, is being tested yet again. Volunteers have mobilized to distribute meals and clothing, while churches and pagodas have opened their doors to shelter the displaced. Still, the scale of destruction threatens to overwhelm local networks of support.

International aid groups are monitoring the situation, with offers of assistance already flowing in from neighboring countries. Yet the storm raises deeper questions about how Vietnam, one of the world’s most climate-vulnerable nations, can safeguard its people and infrastructure in the years ahead.

As rescue operations continue, the priority remains finding the missing and preventing further loss of life. In villages where families have lost loved ones, funerals are being hastily arranged even as floodwaters linger. “We buried my brother this morning,” said Lê Văn Tuấn, his voice breaking. “The storm took him while he was trying to secure the fishing nets. We have nothing left but grief.”

At the moment, Vietnam is caught between mourning and mobilization. The coming weeks will bring hard choices for policymakers, businesses and families alike, on how to rebuild homes, restore livelihoods and strengthen defenses against the next inevitable storm.