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Typhoon Yagi, known in Vietnam as Typhoon No. 3 of 2024 (), originated from a tropical depression northwest of Palau, entered the South China Sea, and rapidly intensified into a super typhoon. By 7 September, Yagi made landfall in Vietnam's Haiphong City and Quảng Ninh Province, causing catastrophic damage to lives and property. The typhoon and post-typhoon severe weather brought strong winds and heavy rainfall to the entirety of northern Vietnam, triggering a series of adverse effects such as flash floods and landslides in mountainous areas. It also resulted in historic floods in northern Vietnam in early September 2024.
The Vietnamese government assessed Typhoon Yagi as the "strongest in 30 years in the South China Sea" and "the strongest in 70 years on land," noting many "unprecedented characteristics." Government reports estimate that Typhoon Yagi and the subsequent floods caused property damages of 83.7 trillion VND (approximately US$3.45 billion) and resulted in over 300 deaths and disappearances. Yagi is considered one of the most catastrophic natural disasters in Vietnamese history.
Preparations.
Prior to Typhoon Yagi forming and making landfall in Vietnam, domestic media reported unusual weather patterns in August 2024. Speaking to the "Natural Resources and Environment" newspaper, Mai Văn Khiêm, Director of the National Center for Hydro-Meteorological Forecasting, stated that the country's average temperature reached , the highest in recorded history. Additionally, August 2024 marked only the sixth time in 61 years that no typhoons or tropical depressions occurred in the South China Sea, a highly unusual phenomenon. The Earth's atmospheric system had transitioned to a neutral state after sustaining El Niño conditions since May 2023. Forecasts indicated a shift to La Niña between September 2024 and early 2025. Khiêm predicted that the number of storms or tropical depressions would be around or above the annual average, with storms likely making landfall in central and southern Vietnam more frequently. The combination of high sea temperatures and La Niña was expected to create favorable conditions for the formation of stronger storms. On 27 August, the National Weather Service Climate Prediction Center updated its Weeks 2–3 Global Tropics Hazards Outlook, with a ;60% probability of tropical cyclone formation for most of northern South China Sea and the north of Philippines.
The National Center for Hydro-Meteorological Forecasting predicted that Typhoon Yagi would make landfall in Vietnam between the Quảng Ninh and Haiphong areas. In preparation, authorities advised against fishing in dangerous waters, holding outdoor events, and urged people to reinforce home defenses and inspect dykes, particularly at landing sites. Twelve northern provinces closed schools in anticipation of the storm, affecting over 6.5 million students, including those in Haiphong, Quảng Ninh, Bắc Giang, Nam Định, Thái Bình, Hanoi, Hà Nam, Phú Thọ, and Ninh Bình. Coastal areas from Quảng Ninh to Nghệ An banned boat operations, and around 310 domestic and international flights scheduled for 7 September were cancelled. Nearly 50,000 people were evacuated from northern coastal regions. Airports, including Nội Bài (Hanoi), Cát Bi (Haiphong), Vân Đồn (Quảng Ninh), and Thọ Xuân (Thanh Hóa), were asked to suspend operations on 7 September for specific periods. Various domestic media recommended using Google Maps to track the typhoon and receive updates.For the first time in history, a disaster risk of Level 4/5 on Vietnam's disaster risk scale was issued for the Gulf of Tonkin. On the morning of 6 September, one day before the expected landfall, Prime Minister Phạm Minh Chính issued an urgent directive to provincial and city officials, as well as relevant ministers, to take immediate action to minimize the storm's impact. Ferry services between the mainland and Phú Quốc in southern Vietnam were also suspended starting 6 September. The Ministry of Industry and Trade instructed local authorities to stockpile essential supplies for five to ten days. Twelve rail routes in the North–south railway system were halted. The People's Army of Vietnam deployed 460,000 personnel to assist in disaster response. A friendly football match within the 2024 LPBank Cup between Thailand and Russia scheduled for 7 September at Mỹ Đình National Stadium in Hanoi was also cancelled.
According to VnExpress, before Typhoon Yagi made landfall in northern Vietnam, the National Committee for Disaster Response and Search and Rescue announced on the afternoon of 5 September that a total of 457,460 people had been mobilized to respond to the storm. This included 99,100 military personnel, 318,900 local militia, and 39,370 reserve forces. More than 10,100 vehicles, including 400 specialized vehicles, 4,770 cars, 4,940 boats, and 6 aircraft, were also mobilized. The Border Guard Command of the provinces along the South China Sea, from Quảng Ninh to Phú Yên, was tasked with coordinating with local authorities, families, and boat owners to notify and guide fishermen away from danger zones. To respond to the storm, the Prime Minister of Vietnam issued two official dispatches. Deputy Prime Minister Trần Hồng Hà also chaired a meeting on typhoon preparedness with representatives from 28 provinces and cities, urging the provinces to take decisive action against the storm with the motto "act without regret." It was also stated that strict accountability measures would be imposed on provincial leaders in case of negligence or complacency.
In inland regions, such as Hanoi’s outskirts and Thái Nguyên, police and local residents built flood barriers and worked on rice fields to prevent flooding both before and during the storm. Police in several districts instructed local police and other forces to implement safety measures for the people, vehicles, and property. During Yagi's landfall and subsequent damage, police officers from the affected communes and towns directly participated in rescue operations and supported people in dealing with the aftermath.
Impact.
Typhoon Yagi made landfall in Quảng Ninh at approximately 1 PM local time on 7 September 2024. According to the first iteration of Vietnam's Member Report submitted to the ESCAP/WMO Typhoon Committee for the 19th Integrated Workshop in Shanghai, China, the strongest winds recorded when Typhoon Yagi made landfall were at the Bãi Cháy meteorological station in Quảng Ninh, with maximum 2-minute sustained winds of , equivalent to 15 bft (167–183 km/h), recorded at 13:21 local time. However, a revised iteration later submitted by Vietnam states that Bãi Cháy station only recorded maximum 2-minute sustained winds of , equivalent to 14 bft (150–166 km/h). The reason for this modification remains unclear. Subsequent reports by authorities after the storm also state that only 14 bft-equivalent winds were recorded in Bãi Cháy. Hoàng Đức Cường, Deputy Director General of the Vietnam Meteorological and Hydrological Administration, said this was the first time Vietnam had ever recorded such violent winds on land. Bãi Cháy station also recorded a sea level pressure of , the lowest sea level pressure recorded during Yagi's landfall in Vietnam.
Additionally, stations on the islands of Bạch Long Vĩ and Cô Tô recorded typhoon-force winds of 13 bft. Other stations on the mainland and nearshore islands of Quảng Ninh and Haiphong recorded winds of 10–12 bft with gusts up to 12–15 bft; Hải Dương recorded winds of 10–13 bft, while Hưng Yên, Bắc Ninh, Bắc Giang, Vĩnh Phúc, and Thái Bình experienced gale-force winds of 8–9 bft with gusts reaching 9–12 bft (in Ba Lạt, Thái Bình, gusts reached , equivalent to 12 bft). Other areas in the northeastern region of Vietnam, including the capital city of Hanoi, reported winds of 6–7 bft.
The system caused widespread heavy rainfall across northern Vietnam and Thanh Hóa, with total rainfall from 7:00 AM on 7 September to 7:00 AM on 12 September (local time) ranging from , and some locations exceeding . This rainfall contributed to monthly totals in early September that were 4–6 times higher than annual averages at 83 of 84 measuring stations. In Yên Bái City, over of rain fell in just two hours. Due to the heavy rain, water levels in major river systems in northern Vietnam, including the Red River and Thái Bình River systems, rose rapidly, causing significant flooding in 20 out of 25 northern provinces from 8 to 15 September. Thao River's upstream section in Lào Cai surpassed the historical flood level of 1971 by . In Yên Bái, the Thao River's peak flood level also exceeded the historic 1968 level. Downstream, water levels on the Red River at the Hanoi station reached the highest levels in 20 years, peaking at 11.3 m on the morning of 12 September. In Hanoi's suburban areas, water levels exceeded Level 3 warning thresholds (on Vietnam's flood warning scale of 3 levels) on smaller rivers such as the Tích River and Bùi River, tributaries of the Đáy River.
Elsewhere, downstream regions like Hà Nam (Đáy River) and Ninh Bình (Hoàng Long River) also saw peak flood levels above Level 3 thresholds, leading to severe flooding. In Ninh Bình, provincial authorities issued an evacuation order on the afternoon of 12 September but rescinded it less than a day later. On the Thái Bình River system, the Cầu River's peak level at Thái Nguyên reached , exceeding Level 3 flood warning thresholds by . Similarly, the Cầu River at Bắc Ninh and the Thương River at Bắc Giang also surpassed Level 3 flood warning thresholds. In Hải Dương, peak levels on the Thái Bình River and Kinh Thầy River reached the highest levels in 28 years, exceeding Level 3 flood warning thresholds. At Phả Lại, the Thái Bình River peaked at on the evening of 12 September, the highest since 2003. Large floods were also reported on other northern rivers such as the Ninh Cơ, Kinh Môn, Gùa, and Trà Lý Rivers. Some areas in Haiphong experienced storm surges, with water levels rising up to . Additionally, heavy rain caused water from upstream to flow into the Thác Bà Hydropower Reservoir, rapidly raising its water level to a "historic level" of 5,600 cubic meters per second. The reservoir was forced to release water through three spillway gates. Authorities prepared for the possibility of breaching an auxiliary dam; however, as water levels subsided, this measure was avoided, and the Thác Bà Hydropower Plant remained safe. The Hòa Bình and Tuyên Quang reservoirs also opened two and eight spillway gates, respectively.
Quảng Ninh Province.
Quảng Ninh Province was significantly affected by Typhoon Yagi, with 29 fatalities recorded, and economic damages estimated at 28 trillion VND. Over 102,800 houses were unroofed, 254 houses collapsed, and nearly 5,000 houses were submerged or eroded. Additionally, 27 tourist boats, 116 fishing vessels, 126 cargo or passenger ships were sunk or capsized. More than 1,400 electricity poles were knocked down, leading to widespread power outages, and the telecommunications network was paralyzed. In Hạ Long, wind gusts of 17 bft or higher were recorded in some areas, such as Bãi Cháy (above 17 bft), resulting in economic damages of over 9.6 trillion VND. Vân Đồn district reported economic damages exceeding 3.693 trillion VND, suffering the most in terms of aquaculture losses, with approximately 32,000 tons of seafood and tens of thousands of tons of newly stocked oysters and fish destroyed. The total aquaculture losses at sea amounted to more than 2.2 trillion VND. Approximately 117,000 hectares of forest in Quảng Ninh were damaged. The affected areas were mostly planted forests, including pine, acacia, and eucalyptus. Consequently, from 28 September, nine fires occurred due to dry weather, destroying over 57 hectares.
Haiphong.
In Haiphong, the typhoon caused two fatalities, along with one soldier who died while assisting residents in recovery efforts, with economic losses exceeding 13 trillion VND. Of this, the agricultural sector accounted for nearly 4.9 trillion VND, or about 40% of the total damage. On Cát Bà Island, over 4,700 houses and numerous school, healthcare, and government facilities were severely damaged. Communication, electricity, and telecommunications systems on the island were heavily affected and completely paralyzed. Factories, workshops, and industrial zones in Quảng Ninh and Haiphong suffered significant destruction from the typhoon.
Hanoi.
In Hanoi, over 100,000 trees were uprooted and 6,521 buildings were damaged, with four fatalities reported (one during the typhoon, the others due to pre-typhoon storms or post-typhoon incidents). Over 100,000 trees were uprooted or broken, and economic damages in Hanoi reached nearly 2.3 trillion VND.
Lào Cai Province.
The heaviest casualties were in Lào Cai Province, where 138 people were killed and 13 were reported missing, including 75 in Bảo Yên district and 30 in Bắc Hà district. Among these, 60 deaths and 7 missing were caused by a severe flash flood in Làng Nủ