Vietnam is a southeast Asian country, and is the easternmost country of mainland Southeast Asia. It borders the East Sea, hence, seeing the increased likeliness of tropical cyclones. Tropical cyclones in this area are considered to be part of the Northwest Pacific basin, and therefore, storms here are considered as typhoons.
Climatologically, in the Northwest Pacific basin, most tropical cyclones tend to develop between May and October. Typhoons impacting this region are relatively common, with most of these storms doing so from the middle of the year. The most active tropical cyclone season for Vietnam is in 2013, with their meteorological agency tracking 15 storms, in which 9 have made landfall. This article includes any tropical cyclone of any intensity that affected Vietnam.
Vietnam recognises its typhoon season from the beginning of June through to the end of November, [1] with an average of four to six typhoons hitting the country annually. [2] Any tropical cyclones here are monitored by the National Center for Hydro-Meteorological Forecasting (NCHMF), which is the nation's official meteorological agency and was established in January 2003. The NCHMF tracks a storm should it enter the agency's monitoring area range which is within the East Sea to the west of 120°E and north of 5°N. Any storm that enters this area is assigned a number, and is set according to its sequence of its occurrence – as for instance with Bão số 1 etc., which translates to "Storm no. 1". Bão comes from "暴', meaning ferocious, violent or vicious, but in vernacular Vietnamese has come to mean "storm".
A study was investigated in the correlation of rainfall and tropical cyclones during El Niño and La Niña seasons, and showed that there is an increase of rainfall and tropical cyclones during La Niña seasons. [3]
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The following list are the ten deadliest storms that impacted Vietnam. Total number of deaths recorded are only from the country itself.
Rank | Name | Year | Number of Deaths |
---|---|---|---|
1 | Joan | 1964 | 7,000 |
2 | Linda | 1997 | 3,111 |
3 | "Haiphong" | 1881 | 3,000 |
4 | Cecil | 1985 | 769 |
5 | Cecil | 1989 | 751 |
6 | Wayne | 1986 | 401 |
7 | Yagi | 2024 | 322 |
8 | Chanchu | 2006 | 241 |
9 | Ketsana | 2009 | 179 |
10 | Ruth | 1980 | 164 |
The September 2009 Vietnam tropical depression was a weak tropical depression that caused deadly flooding throughout central Vietnam in early September. Forming out of an area of low pressure on September 3, the depression hardly intensified as it meandered off the coast of Vietnam. Initially situated in a favorable environment, convective banding features began to develop and shower and thunderstorm activity formed near the center. On September 4, the Joint Typhoon Warning Center issued a Tropical Cyclone Formation Alert; however, a sudden increase in wind shear caused the system to rapidly become disorganized, leading to the cancellation of the alert the next day. The system continued to slowly track off the coast of Vietnam, nearly dissipating on September 5, before becoming better organized. However, the depression remained weak, with the JTWC reporting on September 7 that the depression had dissipated, though the Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA) continued to issue advisories until the depression dissipated during September 9.
Typhoon Wutip, known in the Philippines as Tropical Storm Paolo, was a Category 3 major typhoon that affected Vietnam, Laos, and Thailand. The nineteenth named storm and the fifth typhoon of the 2013 Pacific typhoon season. Wutip formed off the coast of Luzon on September 27, 2013. Being inside PAR, PAGASA named the disturbance Paolo which replaced the name Pepeng. JTWC later gave the identifier Tropical Depression 20W. Moving west-southwestward, the system intensified into a tropical storm, assigning the name Wutip. Wutip reached its peak intensity of a Category-3 major typhoon. On September 30, the storm made landfall on the provinces from Ha Tinh to Thua Thien Hue province of Vietnam, including Quang Binh the center of the storm.
Tropical Depression 18W was a tropical depression that impacted Vietnam, Laos and Thailand during mid September 2013. The system was first noted as a tropical depression on September 16, 2013, while it was located within the South China Sea to the south east of Hanoi in Vietnam. Over the next two days the system gradually developed further, before it was reported by the Vietnamese National Centre for Hydro Meteorological Forecasting that the system had developed into their eighth tropical storm of 2013. However, other meteorological agencies did not report that the system had developed into a tropical storm.
Tropical Storm Bebinca, known in the Philippines as Tropical Depression Fabian, was a weak tropical cyclone that brought minor damage in China and Vietnam, causing a death and an economic loss of about US$13 million. The sixth depression and fifth named storm of the season. Bebinca originated as a low-pressure area south of Hong Kong. As the disturbance is moving westward, favorable conditions allow the system to organize into a tropical depression. On June 21, the depression was upgraded into a tropical storm despite the wind shear, which generated by a subtropical ridge.
Tropical Storm Vamco was a weak tropical cyclone which affected Indochina in mid-September 2015. Formed from a tropical disturbance on September 13, the system developed into a tropical storm and reached its peak intensity on September 14. Vamco made landfall in Vietnam and affected Laos, Thailand and Cambodia. The storm caused flooding in these countries and damages amounted to US$14.1 million. Fifteen people died in the floods.
Tropical Storm Rai was a weak and short-lived tropical cyclone which affected Indochina in September 2016. Formed from a tropical disturbance on September 11, the system developed into a tropical storm and reached its peak intensity on September 12, before making landfall in Vietnam and affecting Laos, Thailand and Cambodia. In Vietnam total damage reached US$73.96 million.
The November 2016 Vietnam tropical depression caused heavy flooding throughout central and southern Vietnam. Forming out from a low-pressure system on November 3, the Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA) began monitoring it as a tropical depression. With favorable conditions aloft and an increase of organization, the JMA predicted that it had a chance of becoming a tropical storm while the Joint Typhoon Warning Center (JTWC) in the same time issued a Tropical Cyclone Formation Alert on November 4. Due to its proximity to land and a circulation displaced from the deep convection, both the JMA and the JTWC canceled their warnings as it made landfall over in Southern Vietnam. The system continued moving westward over land and the JMA stopped tracking on the system on November 6.
Severe Tropical Storm Aere, known in the Philippines as Tropical Storm Julian, was a long-lived tropical cyclone that struck Central Vietnam in October 2016. The nineteenth named storm of the annual typhoon season, Aere formed on October 4, 2016 as a tropical depression to the east of Luzon, Philippines shortly after the JMA had started tracking Songda. On the next day, the system had become a tropical storm and it moved into South China Sea. During October 7, it intensified into a severe tropical storm and reached peak intensity with 10-minute winds of 110 km/h (70 mph). Shortly thereafter, due to remaining in almost the same area for hours, Aere began to weaken to a tropical storm, and on October 10, it weakened to a tropical depression, before weakening to a low-pressure area late on October 11. On October 13, Aere re-generated into a tropical depression and it made landfall in Huế, Vietnam late that day. The system moved towards Laos and Thailand before it fully dissipated on October 14.
Severe Tropical Storm Talas was a tropical cyclone that affected Vietnam in mid-July 2017. The storm was first identified as a tropical disturbance over the South China Sea on July 13 and was upgraded to a tropical depression the following day. On July 15, the depression intensified into a named storm of the 2017 Pacific typhoon season. Before making landfall in Vietnam, Talas reached its peak intensity as a severe tropical storm on July 16. It weakened to an area of low pressure on July 17 as it moved inland. Throughout Vietnam, the storm resulted in 14 fatalities and damaged approximately 2,700 homes. Rough seas caused about 50 boats to sink. Nearly 50,000 hectares of vegetable fields, around 800 ha of aquaculture, and 47,600 ha of rice and other subsidiary crops were affected. The storm caused an estimated US$8.8 million in damages in Hainan province, China, increased rainfall in Myanmar and Thailand, and triggered landslides and flooding in parts of Central and Northern Laos.
Tropical Storm Sonca was a weak tropical cyclone that impacted Southeast Asia during the end of July 2017. As the 10th named storm of the 2017 Pacific typhoon season, Tropical Storm Sonca formed south of Hong Kong, after drifting westward for multiple days, the storm intensified into a tropical storm, receiving the name Sonca. The storm later affected Hainan, reaching its peak intensity. On July 25, the storm made landfall over the Quảng Trị province, then dissipated.
Typhoon Doksuri, known in the Philippines as Tropical Storm Maring, was a strong Category 2 typhoon that mostly impacted the Philippines and Vietnam during mid-September 2017. Forming as the nineteenth named storm of the season, Doksuri developed as a weak tropical depression over to the east of Visayas on September 10.
The October 2017 Vietnam tropical depression, also known officially by its designation as Tropical Depression 23W, was a weak but deadly system that brought torrential rainfall and extreme flooding over northern and central Vietnam in October 2017. The depression formed on October 7, located to the northwest of Luzon, Philippines. The system moved in a general westward direction as it steadily intensified. Despite being forecast to strengthen into a tropical storm, 23W failed to reach this intensity, due to lack of organization as it made landfall in Hà Tĩnh Province on October 10.
Typhoon Damrey, known in the Philippines as Severe Tropical Storm Ramil, was a strong tropical cyclone that affected the Philippines and Vietnam during early November 2017. Damrey first originated as a tropical depression over the Philippine archipelago of Visayas on October 31. Emerging into the South China Sea a few days later, the system strengthened into the second deadliest and twenty-third named storm of the 2017 Pacific typhoon season. Rapidly intensifying, Damrey became the season's tenth typhoon on November 3, reaching its peak intensity as a Category 2 on the same day. Damrey made landfall over Khánh Hoà, Vietnam on November 4 and began to rapidly weaken, fully dissipating on November 5.
Tropical Storm Toraji was a weak, short-lived system that impacted Vietnam in November 2018. Forming as the twenty-seventh named storm of the 2018 Pacific typhoon season, Toraji developed as a tropical depression to the southeast of Vietnam on November 16. Quickly organising, the system strengthened into a tropical storm the next day. Toraji rapidly weakened thereafter early on November 18, when the storm made landfall over southeastern Vietnam, later dissipating. The storm's remnants moved into the Gulf of Thailand when Toraji re-organised back into a tropical depression on November 20. However Toraji quickly deteriorated on the same day as it moved closer to the Malay Peninsula.
Tropical Storm Nangka, also known in the Philippines as Tropical Depression Nika, was a weak tropical cyclone which would be the wettest tropical cyclone in the Western Pacific on record, producing 127.8 in of rainfall in Hướng Hóa, Vietnam. Nangka would impact Hainan and parts of Indochina, which had been affected by Tropical Storm Linfa just days earlier. Nangka in total caused 4 deaths and 5 missing in China and Vietnam.
The 2020 Central Vietnam floods were a series of floods in Central Vietnam, which also affected some areas in Cambodia and Laos in October and early November 2020. The floods focused heavily in several provinces including Thừa Thiên Huế, Hà Tĩnh, Quảng Bình, Quảng Trị, and Quảng Ngãi. The floods were mainly caused by the seasonal monsoon, though enhanced by numerous tropical cyclones.
Typhoon Molave, known in the Philippines as Typhoon Quinta, was a strong tropical cyclone that caused widespread damage in the Philippines and Indochina in late October 2020, and became the strongest to strike the South Central Coast of Vietnam since Damrey in 2017. The eighteenth named storm and eighth typhoon of the annual typhoon season, Molave originated from a tropical depression that formed on October 23 east of Palau. At 15:00 UTC the next day, the depression was upgraded into Tropical Storm Molave as it drifted generally northwestward. Molave soon became a typhoon on October 25 as it turned west, shortly before making five landfalls in central Philippines. After striking the Philippines, Molave entered the South China Sea and began to re-intensify. Molave attained its peak intensity on October 27 before weakening again as it approached Vietnam. The typhoon struck Vietnam on October 28, before rapidly weakening as it headed further into Indochina. Molave later dissipated on October 30, over Myanmar.
Tropical Storm Wipha was a tropical cyclone that caused significant damages in Vietnam and China. Wipha was the eleventh depression, and the ninth tropical storm of the 2019 Pacific typhoon season.
Tropical Storm Linfa was a weak, short-lived but deadly and destructive tropical cyclone that was the twelfth wettest tropical cyclone on record and the second of nine tropical cyclones in a row to strike Vietnam in 2020, a little under a month after the less damaging Tropical Storm Noul. The fifteenth named storm of the 2020 Pacific typhoon season, Linfa originated from a tropical depression which formed just to the west of the Philippines on October 6. After passing through the island nation, the storm emerged into the South China Sea and slowly gained strength, earning the name Linfa on October 10 on approach to Vietnam. On the next day, Linfa had reached peak strength and made landfall in Vietnam, marking the beginning of a devastating series of floods in the country and worsening the already active monsoon season. Linfa quickly dissipated as it moved inland, but associated thunderstorms continued for several days.
Tropical Storm Sonca was a weak but damaging tropical storm that impacted Vietnam in mid-October 2022. The thirtieth tropical depression, and nineteenth tropical storm of the 2022 Pacific typhoon season, Sonca developed from a scattered area of convection within a broad low-level center. As it became slightly organized, the Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA) classified the system as a depression on October 13, while the Joint Typhoon Warning Center (JTWC) followed suit the next day, naming the system 22W. Not long after, the system intensified into a tropical storm, receiving the name Sonca by the JMA. It soon made landfall on Da Nang, Vietnam. Sonca rapidly weakened over land, and the JTWC and JMA both issued their final advisories on Sonca.
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