Vietnam Capital Flooded Again After Storm Matmo Sweeps In

Vietnam’s capital was brought to a standstill for the second time in two weeks after Storm Matmo dumped prolonged, heavy rains across Hanoi.

Flash-flood warnings were also issued by the national weather agency across 13 provinces including Thanh Hoa, Haiphong and Bac Ninh, which is a key manufacturing hub for global electronics suppliers making products for companies like Apple Inc. and Samsung Electronics Co.

The storm comes a week after Typhoon Bualoi tore through northern Vietnam, leaving at least 56 people dead and total economic damage of about 18.8 trillion dong ($713 million). It was the 10th tropical storm to hit the Southeast Asian country this year, and followed the powerful Ragasa, which left a trail of destruction from the Philippines to Taiwan and Hong Kong.

The national weather agency has forecast that up to four more typhoons or tropical depressions could enter the South China Sea before the end of the year, with one or two likely to affect Vietnam.

A burst hydropower dam in the northern province of Lang Son prompted the evacuation of some 300 households. Authorities said the breach is 5 meters (16 feet) long and the capacity of the reservoir is up to 4 million cubic meters.

Meanwhile in Hanoi, schools moved classes online or gave pupils the day off and traffic was gridlocked in the city center. Many vehicles and commuters were left struggling through waist-deep floodwaters, the VnExpress news website reported.

Vietnam’s long coastline, which stretches more than 3,000 kilometers (1,864 miles), “makes it vulnerable to storms across all regions,” said Le Thi Xuan Lan, former deputy head of the Southern Regional Hydro-Meteorological Center’s forecasting department. That’s “worsened by deforestation and climate change, which have increased the country’s exposure to storm-related damage,” she added, while “inadequate drainage and irrigation systems” often lead to flooding in urban areas.

Heavy rain also occurred across Vietnam’s northern region through Monday night, with some areas of Thai Nguyen receiving as much as 506 millimeters of rain, according to the National Center for Hydro Meteorological Forecasting.