The historic city of Hue is underwater after receiving more rain in 24 hours than its previous all-time record set in 1999, as officials warn of the "highest level" of landslide risk.
HUE, VIETNAM (Oct 28, 2025) – A catastrophic, record-shattering rainfall event has submerged the ancient city of Hue, turning streets into rivers and forcing the evacuation of over 8,600 people across central Vietnam, the nation's environment ministry confirmed Tuesday.
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| An aerial view shows floodwaters inundating the Imperial City in Vietnam's Hue (STR) |
In a stunning 24-hour period from Sunday to Monday, three separate measuring stations in Hue, a UNESCO world heritage site, recorded rainfall totals between one meter and an almost unbelievable 1.7 meters (five feet, seven inches).
This deluge didn't just break the previous 24-hour record of 0.99 meters, set during the infamous historic flood of 1999—it shattered it.
For residents, it is a nightmare realized.
"This was the biggest flood I have experienced, with water levels in my house about 40 centimeters higher than that of 1999," said Tran Anh Tuan, a 56-year-old Hue resident.
Speaking to AFP from his three-story house, now an isolated island in the floodwaters, Tuan described a harrowing scene. "My ground floor is under about two meters (6.5 feet) of floodwaters," he said. "We had moved all essential furniture upstairs. We have been in the dark for over a day as power was cut off."
The crisis has paralyzed the region. Shocking images published by state media showed a main hospital in Hue inundated with murky water, with two patients sitting grimly on gurneys in the flooded room.
In the nearby ancient town of Hoi An, another world heritage site beloved by tourists, visitors were seen navigating the narrow, flooded streets in boats, the only viable means of transport.
Since Saturday, a state of emergency has unfolded across four central provinces. Authorities, seeing the risk of catastrophic flash floods and landslides, have moved more than 8,600 people from their homes to the relative safety of schools and other public buildings.
The danger is far from over.
"The level of natural disaster risk due to flash floods and landslides is at the highest level," warned Mai Van Khiem, director of the National Center for Hydro-Meteorological Forecasting, in a statement on a government website. He added that more heavy rain is forecast for the central provinces through Wednesday.
The region's infrastructure has buckled. Schools in both Hue and the coastal hub of Danang have been closed since Saturday. The critical North-South railway line, the backbone of the country's transport system, has seen major delays, stranding travelers and goods.
Scientists have repeatedly warned that human-driven climate change is making extreme weather events like this more frequent, deadly, and destructive.
This disaster is the latest in a brutal year for Vietnam. It follows severe flooding in the mountainous north and the capital, Hanoi, in early October from Typhoons Bualoi and Matmo.
According to the General Statistics Office, natural disasters—primarily storms, floods, and landslides—left 187 people dead or missing in the first nine months of this year alone, inflicting an estimated economic loss of more than $610 million.