CaliToday (22/11/2025): Vietnam’s Central Highlands and South Central Coast regions are grappling with a deepening humanitarian and infrastructure crisis following what meteorologists are calling historic, unprecedented flooding and torrential rainfall. Provinces including Khánh Hòa, Đăk Lăk, and Gia Lai have become the epicenters of the disaster, with mounting reports of casualties and massive infrastructural damage.
The Toll: Casualties and Massive Displacement
The scale of the disaster is rapidly escalating. Preliminary reports indicate dozens of people have been reported injured or are currently missing, with the confirmed death toll rising as rescue teams struggle to reach isolated areas. The material damage is already estimated to be in the trillions of Vietnamese Dong (billions of US dollars), crippling local economies.
Homes Submerged: A staggering number of residences—over 67,700 homes—have been completely inundated, forcing tens of thousands of families into emergency shelters. In many low-lying areas, water levels have reached roof height.
Agricultural Ruin: The vital coffee and pepper plantations that form the backbone of the Central Highlands economy have been devastated, threatening the livelihoods of millions of farmers for the foreseeable future.
Emergency Response: The Race Against Time
The Vietnamese government has mobilized an all-out effort to contain the disaster and rescue those trapped. Prime Minister Phạm Minh Chính has issued a direct order for rescue teams to employ "every possible measure" to save citizens in the flood-hit zones.
Maximized Deployment: Military and local forces have been deployed en masse, utilizing every available resource.
Advanced Equipment: For the first time, large-scale deployment of helicopters and Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs/drones) is being used extensively to locate stranded victims, drop supplies, and assess the damage in areas inaccessible by road.
Infrastructure Collapse: Roads Torn Apart
The floodwaters have not only submerged villages but have also caused catastrophic failures in the region's crucial transport networks, severely impeding rescue and relief efforts.
Mimosa Pass Disaster: Mimosa Pass in Lâm Đồng province, the primary gateway to the tourist hub of Đà Lạt, has been severely compromised. A massive landslide has torn away over 50 meters of the road, completely severing traffic flow and isolating the city from the south. Repair efforts are expected to take weeks, if not months.
Highway Construction Stalled: In Đăk Lăk, numerous construction workers engaged in building the critical North-South Expressway project have become trapped and isolated by rising floodwaters and landslides near their work camps, necessitating complex, high-risk rescue operations.
The situation remains critical, with weather forecasts suggesting the heavy rain is not expected to cease immediately, increasing the risk of further flash floods and landslides. The international community is preparing to offer aid as the full extent of the calamity becomes clearer.