Vietnam Insider

A fast forming tropical system in the Philippines has triggered heavy rainfall, school closures, and the evacuation of riverside communities, raising concerns that a new storm could move toward the South China Sea and approach Vietnam in the coming days.

The Philippine weather bureau PAGASA reported on November 24 that Tropical Depression Verbena was delivering widespread moderate to heavy rain across the Caraga region. Local authorities halted sea transport, suspended classes, and activated emergency response teams as flooding risks increased.

Verbena was located about 330 kilometers east of Surigao City on Sunday morning with sustained winds of 45 kilometers per hour and gusts reaching 55 kilometers per hour. Forecast models show the system moving west northwest and strengthening into a tropical storm within about thirty six hours, according to Gulf News.

Coastal and island provinces including Dinagat Islands, Surigao del Norte, the northern part of Surigao del Sur, and Agusan del Norte were placed under the first level of the national storm warning system. Disaster management offices elevated alert levels and advised communities to prepare for possible flash floods and landslides.

The Philippine Coast Guard temporarily suspended most sea travel to ensure passenger safety. Larger roll on roll off cargo vessels above three hundred tons are allowed to operate only after a twelve hour delay and without passengers except cargo drivers.

Schools in several affected provinces announced immediate closures. In Agusan del Norte, provincial offices also paused operations, with rescue units ordered to remain on duty.

Evacuations began early on November 24 for families living along the Cotcot River in Liloan, Cebu province. Local officials said more than one hundred thirty people, including children, had been moved to safer shelters as water levels rose.

Authorities continue to urge residents, especially those in coastal and low lying areas, to monitor official updates closely as Verbena advances toward the South China Sea. The system could strengthen further as it approaches the region between the Philippines and Vietnam, an area that has already seen multiple storms this season.

A security guard at a well-known seafood restaurant in Can Tho was fatally stabbed by a colleague in a shocking workplace incident, authorities said. The case has raised questions about staff training and workplace safety at busy dining establishments in Vietnam’s Mekong Delta.

The Can Tho Police Department confirmed on November 21 that 29-year-old Duong Thanh Lap, a security guard residing in An Binh ward, was detained after allegedly stabbing 18-year-old co-worker M.H.K. during a dispute over managing customer vehicles at the restaurant on Tran Hoang Na Street, Tan An Ward.

Security footage from the restaurant captured the attack. The injured guard was rushed to hospital but succumbed to his wounds the following morning. Police quickly responded to the scene, apprehending Lap, who reportedly admitted to the stabbing during initial questioning.

Incidents like this highlight safety challenges in high-traffic restaurants popular with locals and tourists alike. Can Tho, a key city in the Mekong Delta known for its floating markets and riverside dining, has seen rapid growth in hospitality and tourism, putting pressure on staffing and operational management.

Authorities continue to investigate the case, which has sent ripples through the city’s restaurant industry and raised awareness about security and conflict prevention in Vietnam’s bustling dining scene.

A 21-year-old woman in Can Tho was rushed to hospital in critical condition after being stabbed in the abdomen while selling bread at a local market. She was 36 weeks pregnant. Doctors performed an emergency cesarean section to save both her and her unborn child.

The attack occurred on the morning of 21 November at Phong Dien Market. Security footage shows a man, later identified as 23-year-old Ngo Hoang Phuong, approaching the vendor and stabbing her before fleeing. The victim’s husband and nearby vendors quickly intervened and helped detain Phuong until police arrived.

Authorities say Phuong has a criminal record, including two previous convictions for intentional injury, and had recently been released from prison in March. During questioning, he admitted that personal family issues motivated him to buy a knife and target the pregnant woman.

The mother was immediately taken to Can Tho Central General Hospital in shock and severe blood loss. Doctors stabilized her condition, performed the cesarean delivery, and treated her abdominal wound. The baby is now in the hospital’s neonatal unit under observation.

Police are holding Phuong for investigation. The case has shocked the local community, raising concerns about public safety in crowded markets.

This incident highlights both the risks faced by women in public spaces and the critical role of rapid medical response in saving lives during violent attacks.

Experts in Vietnam are raising concerns about how hydropower reservoirs are operated after a series of sudden water releases caused severe flooding in downstream communities during recent storms in central Vietnam. They say the problem does not come from extreme weather alone. It also comes from structural conflicts of interest, rigid operating rules, and large legal gaps in dam safety management.

Nguyen Quoc Dung, a leading water resources expert and Vice Chairman of the Vietnam Committee on Large Dams, says many hydropower reservoirs are operated at half full levels during storms. When heavy rain arrives faster than expected, operators are forced to release large volumes of water in a short time. This creates sudden surges that hit downstream areas with little warning.

He notes that many reservoirs have very limited flood control capacity. Some hold up to eight hundred million cubic meters of water but allocate less than ten percent of that volume for flood regulation. Operators want to keep water levels high to ensure power generation. Lowering the reservoir too early risks losing revenue if the expected rain does not arrive.

This creates hesitation. When state agencies issue broad or unclear instructions, such as asking a plant to release between zero and five thousand cubic meters per second, operators may release only a small amount at first. When water rises quickly late in the day, they open the gates all at once. The result is a sudden wall of water that leaves downstream residents with no time to react.

Dung says the government must pair technical requirements with financial compensation. If a reservoir is ordered to release two hundred million cubic meters to prepare for a storm, there should be a clear mechanism to offset the revenue loss. He suggests using the national disaster prevention fund. Without this, private operators will always be reluctant and the system will remain risky.

He adds that hydropower plays a much larger role in flood impacts than irrigation dams in central Vietnam. Many hydropower projects were approved with electricity generation as the top priority and flood control only as a secondary function. Climate change and rising disaster risks mean this approach must be revised. Flood reduction should be a mandatory primary objective.

Dung also says Vietnam can deploy real time flood maps linked to location data. These tools can show exactly which areas will be flooded, how high the water will rise, and how many people are in danger. This would allow faster, more targeted evacuations.

Another issue is the lack of regulation for new types of dams, such as tourist dams and mine tailing ponds. Recent incidents in Lam Dong show that these structures fall outside existing legal frameworks. Dung urges Vietnam to develop a comprehensive Dam Safety Law, similar to India’s model.

Other experts say managing water resources by river basin, not by administrative boundaries, is essential. They also welcome the recent decision to merge Vietnam’s agriculture and environment ministries, a move they believe will help unify data, policies, and dam operations.

For now, the latest floods have revealed a deeper structural problem. As long as hydropower revenues depend on keeping reservoirs high and as long as dam operators face unclear or conflicting instructions, downstream communities will remain vulnerable to sudden floods.

Police in Ho Chi Minh City are investigating a shocking discovery at a high-end residential complex in Binh Thanh District. On the afternoon of 23 November, security staff stopped two men carrying a large blue bag that gave off a strong odor. Moments later, both suspects fled the scene, hijacking a taxi parked nearby.

Authorities quickly sealed off the area and inspected the bag. Inside, they found the body of a man in an advanced stage of decomposition. The victim had been renting an apartment in the same building.

Sources indicate the victim is a foreign national, and the two men who escaped may be from the same country. Police are now tracking the suspects and reviewing surveillance footage from the building and surrounding streets.

Residents described the incident as deeply disturbing. The building, located on Nguyen Huu Canh Street in Binh Thanh District, is known for its upscale apartments and large expatriate community.

Officials have not yet released the victim’s identity or any potential motive. The investigation is ongoing.

Ho Chi Minh City’s new metro stations have become an unexpected symbol of solidarity. By the afternoon of 23 November, residents across the city had delivered more than 180 tons of relief supplies to stations on the Ben Thanh to Suoi Tien line. The volume continues to rise as people arrive through the night with food, blankets, medicine, and clothing for communities hit by severe flooding in central Vietnam.

For many donors, the metro system offers an easy and central drop off point. Staff quickly move each shipment from the platforms to waiting trucks, which then deliver everything to the Vietnam Fatherland Front office, the agency coordinating national relief efforts.

The agency has issued an updated priority list for the night. It is asking donors to focus on essential items that can be used immediately by families in flooded areas. These include instant noodles, milk, packaged cakes, ten kilogram rice bags, blankets, sausages, canned fish, canned meat, and diapers for both children and adults. Other donated goods will still be accepted and repacked for later distribution.

Teams from Ho Chi Minh City’s metro operator and the Vietnam Fatherland Front have been working through the night to sort and load supplies. Some shifts ran until three in the morning to keep up with the pace of incoming donations.

Metro stations will continue receiving contributions until 23:00 tonight. All goods will then be transported to a central warehouse for immediate shipment to provinces in central Vietnam.

This surge of public support reflects a familiar pattern in Vietnam. When disasters strike, communities mobilize fast, and local infrastructure becomes a lifeline. For international readers following Vietnam’s flood response, the scene at the metro stations offers a clear message. The country’s first modern urban rail line is already serving a purpose far bigger than transport. It has become a trusted channel that connects urban residents with families in crisis across the country.

Jason Harrigan, a 57-year-old Australian, became an unexpected social media sensation after sharing his cosmetic surgery journey in Vietnam, with videos reaching over 80 million views. The clips, filmed over seven days, document each procedure on his face, beginning with his signature greeting, “Hello, I’m Jason from Australia.”

What drew attention was the rotating team of doctors performing different steps in his treatment, prompting speculation online. Some viewers jokingly suggested he had been kidnapped, while others raised safety concerns. Jason, however, remained unbothered, explaining that he had struggled with self-image for 20 years and was motivated to improve his appearance affordably.

In Australia, the procedures he sought were quoted at around $59,000 USD, a cost he could not justify. In Hanoi, he completed the same procedures for $4,000 USD. Jason chose to undergo the surgery without general anesthesia. Over the first few days, surgeons removed excess forehead skin, corrected drooping eyelids, and performed other facial refinements. Videos documenting the process were shared on TikTok with his consent. After three months of recovery, Jason reported satisfaction with the results, noting his mother also praised the transformation.

Medical tourism, including cosmetic procedures, is a growing global industry. About 15,000 Australians travel abroad each year for medical treatment, attracted by lower costs. Experts warn of potential risks such as infection and antibiotic-resistant bacteria.

Vietnam’s medical tourism market alone reached approximately $700 million in 2024 and is projected to approach $4 billion by 2033, growing around 18% annually. Many international visitors cite dramatic cost savings, with dental and cosmetic procedures costing 20 to 40 times less than in the United States. The Jason Harrigan story illustrates both the allure and global attention that affordable, high-quality medical services in Vietnam can generate.

Authorities in Dak Lak province have issued a serious public safety warning after floodwaters swept away approximately 100 drums of concentrated sulfuric acid from Tuy Hoa Sugar Factory. Each 20-liter drum, colored blue or gray, contains H₂SO₄, a highly corrosive industrial chemical.

Sulfuric acid poses extreme risks. Contact with skin can cause severe chemical burns, eye exposure may result in permanent blindness, and inhalation of fumes can damage the respiratory system. Mixing the acid with water generates intense heat and can cause splattering, while ingestion can destroy the digestive tract and be fatal.

Police are urging residents to avoid handling the drums, not to attempt opening them, and to immediately report any sightings so authorities can safely collect and dispose of the chemicals.

The warning comes amid severe flooding along the Ba River, where water levels recently surpassed alert level 3 and neared the historical 1993 peak. More than 8,500 homes were submerged, forcing residents to climb onto rooftops for rescue. The province has declared very high-risk alerts for flash floods and landslides in over 22 communes. As of November 20, floods have claimed 11 lives and left four people missing.

Local authorities, including police, military, and volunteer forces, are mobilized to evacuate residents, secure isolated areas, and respond to chemical hazards. The combination of extreme flooding and hazardous materials underscores the urgent challenges facing central Vietnam as it contends with climate-driven disasters.

A luxury Mercedes Maybach collided with a parked passenger vehicle in Ha Long City, Quang Ninh province, early on November 20, resulting in one death and one serious injury. The accident occurred around 1:10 a.m. on Bai Chay Street, near the Thai Ha Hotel, when the 25-year-old driver of the Maybach struck a bus parked along the roadside.

Security camera footage shows the Mercedes spinning before coming to rest in front of the bus. The front and left side of the luxury car were heavily damaged. Both occupants of the Mercedes were seriously injured and taken to hospital, but the passenger in the rear seat later died from injuries sustained in the crash.

Authorities reported that the road was dry and well-lit, with minimal traffic at the time. Police from Bai Chay Ward are investigating the scene, examining the vehicles, and working to determine the cause of the collision.

The incident highlights ongoing concerns about road safety in urban areas popular with tourists and residents alike, as well as the risks posed by high-speed driving on relatively quiet streets.

A group of four foreign tourists surprised locals by swimming in the Nho Que River in northern Vietnam when air temperatures had dropped to just 13 degrees Celsius. The river, now part of Tuyen Quang province after administrative changes, is even colder beneath the surface, yet the visitors appeared unfazed, splashing and playing in the water while their Vietnamese companions shivered on the riverbank.

The scene, captured on video by a local guide, quickly went viral on social media, sparking discussion about the Western tolerance for cold water and the thrill-seeking habits of international travelers. Experts note that swimming in icy, fast-flowing rivers carries serious risks, particularly in areas with deep pools or strong currents. Local authorities strongly advise against swimming in the Nho Que River and nearby waterfalls such as Du Gia, citing past accidents including a drowning in 2023. Safety signs are posted in both Vietnamese and English, but some visitors continue to take risks.

The Nho Que River and Du Gia waterfall are among the most popular natural attractions in northern Vietnam, drawing both domestic and international tourists for scenic views and adventure activities. In the first half of 2025, the region welcomed more than 1.7 million visitors, including 300,000 international tourists, generating over 4,600 billion VND in revenue.

Tourism officials hope that combining natural beauty with strong safety measures will ensure sustainable growth for the newly expanded Tuyen Quang province while maintaining its reputation as a top destination for adventure-seeking travelers.