List of Vietnam tornadoes

The country of Vietnam experiences multiple tornadoes annually. Between 1993 and 2000, there are a total number of 317 tornado occurences in the country. Most of these tornadoes bring F1 intensities in the Fujita scale (F scale), but a very few documented tornadoes are able to reach F3 intensities.[1] They typically form during severe thunderstorms or typhoons. To date, studies that involve the country's tornado climatology are limited.

Climatology

Further information: Climate of Vietnam

A tornado, also known as vòi rồng or lốc xoáy in Vietnamese, is a violently rotating column of air that descends from the base of a thunderstorm onto the ground. They are usually accompanied by thunderstorms or brought by typhoons.[2] Tornadoes are associated with strong atmospheric instability, a characteristic of the rainy season. Weather fronts often increase the formation of tornadoes, when warm, most air is pushed upwards and collide with the cold, dry air, which then cools and condenses into moisture that triggers the formation of thunderstorms.[3][4]

The country has a tropical climate that is influenced by monsoons. It has two distinct seasons: the dry season and the rainy season. The transitional periods of these seasons are favorable for tornadoes as atmospheric circulation provides the necessary conditions for severe weather events to develop, with it being the months from April to May in the north and May to August in the south.

Tornadoes appear in almost every region in the country, with most tornadoes located in Southern Vietnam, followed by Northern Vietnam, and lastly Central Vietnam with the least amount of tornadoes reported. These tornadoes occur most frequently in May around the country. In the north and central regions, high concentrations of tornadic activity appear from March to May, with April being the most frequent. Meanwhile, tornadic activity in the southern regions span from June to August.[1]

The country's meteorological agency, NCHMF, stated that it's difficult to forecast tornadoes with accuracy due to their small size and duration. Instead, they can only issue general warnings when conditions are favorable for tornado development. Unlike storms and typhoons which can be monitored through radar, tornadoes appear suddenly in small areas and can only be detected through direct observation.[5]

Events

Pre-2000s

Event Date District Province No. of Tornadoes Casualties
Gia Lương district tornado 10 June 1961 Gia Lương Bắc Ninh 1 Unknown
A buffalo shed was lifted and a bufallo was carried tens of meters away by a tornado that left a 7 km (4.35 mi) long and 10-20 m (33-66 ft) wide path. It also broke several large trees in the area.[1]
Nghệ An tornado 19 August 1985 - Nghệ An 1 Unknown
A tornado lifted a train carriage off the tracks at a station and collapsed a concrete bridge.[1]
Hải Phòng province tornado 1985 - Hải Phòng 1 Unknown
A crane in the port area of Hải Phòng was collapsed by a tornado.[1]
Central Vietnam tornado 23 September 1997 - coastal provinces of Central Vietnam 1 4 fatalities
Torrential rains and a tornado hit coastal provinces in Central Vietnam, killing four people and flooded several areas.[6]

2000s

Event Date District Province No. of Tornadoes Casualties
Tiền Giang province tornadoes 23 August 2000 - Tiền Giang 2 1 fatality, 77 injured
Two tornadoes hit the southern province of Tiền Giang that killed a 5-year old girl and injuring 77 others.[6]
Triệu Sơn district 13 June 2007 Triệu Sơn Thanh Hóa 1 2 fatalities
Nearly 500 homes were damaged and two people were killed by a falling tree when a tornado hit the district. It also toppled electric posts and thousands of trees.[7]

2010s

Event Date District Province No. of Tornadoes Casualties
Tropical Storm Haima 23 June 2011 Thủy Nguyên Hải Phòng 1 2 fatalities, 55 injured
Due to the close proximity of Tropical Storm Haima, multiple supercells developed in its outer rainbands, resulting in at least one confirmed tornado. A tornado hit An Lu Commune in Thủy Nguyên District at approximately 17:30 local time, damaging nearly a thousand homes, many of which suffered complete roof loss. Two people were killed and 55 others were injured.[8]
Cờ Đỏ district tornado 30 July 2014 Cờ Đỏ Cần Thơ 1 5 injured
At approximately 07:00 local time, a sudden tornado struck the central area of Cờ Đỏ District. Official reports indicated that the tornado caused damage to 159 houses, of which 57 were completely destroyed and 102 sustained roof loss. Additionally, four government offices were damaged, 40 utility poles were knocked down, and five people were injured.[9]

2020s

Event Date District Province No. of Tornadoes Casualties
Northern Vietnam cold spell 3-4 March 2020 - Northeast Vietnam 1 1 fatality
A cold spell brought numerous thunderstorms that hit seven provinces in Northern Vietnam, resulting in multiple damages to structures and agricultural crops. A total of 5 people died from the storms, with one of them killed from a tornado in northeast Vietnam. The cold spell also left at least 17 people injured.[10][11]
Binh Xuyen district tornado 10 June 2020 Bình Xuyên Vĩnh Phúc 1 3 fatalities, 18 injured
A tornado hit Trung My Commune in Binh Xuyen District at around 18:00 local time which resulted in a wood processing warehouse to collapse, killing three people and injuring eighteen.[12]
Vĩnh Long province tornado 29 June 2023 Long Ho, Mang Thít, & Tam Bình Vĩnh Long 1 None
Several districts were hit by a tornado in Vĩnh Long province and left approximately 860 million VND in total damages. In Long Ho district, a total of 11 houses suffered heavy damages. Meanwhile in Mang Thít and Tam Bình districts, a total of 35 houses suffered partial damages.[13]
An Biên district tornado 30 May 2025 An Biên Kien Giang 1 None
At approximately 08:30 local time, a tornado hit Nam Yen Commune in An Biên district where it damaged 6 homes.[14]
Typhoon Kajiki 25-26 August 2025 Kim Bang, Nông Cống, & Yên Phong respectively Ninh Bình, Thanh Hóa, Hanoi, & Bắc Ninh 5 1 fatality, 14 injured
Two days of tornadic activity began late in the evening on August 25, when a powerful tornado struck Kim Bảng district in Ninh Bình province. The tornado, though lasting only a few minutes, caused extensive damage to more than 200 homes and businesses. An 88-year-old woman was killed after a wall collapsed onto her, and 14 others were hospitalized with injuries. The following day, four additional tornadoes were reported across northern Vietnam. The first was confirmed in Nông Cống District, Thanh Hóa through videos recorded by local residents. Two more tornadoes occurred in Hanoi, and another tornado touched down in Yên Phong district of Bắc Ninh province. In total, the two-day outbreak resulted in 1 fatality and 14 reported injuries.[15][16][17]
Typhoon Bualoi 27-29 September 2025 Hải Thịnh, Yên Khánh, Thái Thụy, Vĩnh Bảo, Đầm Hà Huế, Ninh Bình, Hưng Yên, Hải Phòng, Quảng Ninh, & Hanoi 7 11 fatalities, 45 injuries
Multiple tornadoes were reported during Typhoon Bualoi. On September 27, a tornado hit Huế where it damaged three homes. On the following day, another tornado damaged 75 more homes in the same city. though no casualties were reported in both tornadoes.[18] On September 29, multiple tornadoes struck the Red River Delta. The most destructive tornado touched down in Hải Thịnh district in Ninh Bình province, and moved across several southern districts, killing nine people and injuring 25 others. In Yên Khánh district, it swept a two-story billiard hall from its foundation, scattering debris downwind, before dissipating in Đông Hoa Lư district after being at least an hour on the ground.[19][20][21] Another tornado struck Thái Thụy district in Hưng Yên province, killing two people and injuring at least eight.[22] Two more tornadoes struck Vĩnh Bảo district in Hải Phòng, and Đầm Hà district in Quảng Ninh province, resulting in 12 additional injuries.[23] Another tornado was a short-lived in Thượng Cát Ward in Hanoi, though no casualties were reported. In total, there are 11 fatalities and 45 were injured, making it the largest and deadliest tornado outbreak in Vietnam's history.[5]
Hải Phòng tornado 7 October 2025 Haiphong Hải Phòng 1 None
A tornado hit Chu Van An Ward in Hải Phòng at around 04:00 local time. resulting in damages to several homes and farms, though no casualties were reported.[24]
Thanh Tùng commune tornado 28 October 2025 Đầm Dơi Ca Mau 1 None
At approximately 21:00 local time, a tornado hit Thanh Tùng commune where it damaged at least 15 homes and several shrimp farms with total estimated damage of approximately 910 million VND.[25]

See also

References

  1. ^ a b c d e Quang, Lê Đình. "SƠ BỘ ĐÁNH GIÁ PHÂN BỐ KHÔNG - THỜI GIAN CỦA LỐC XOÁY Ở CÁC TỈNH MIỀN NÚI PHÍA BẮC" [PRELIMINARY ASSESSMENT OF THE SPATIO-TEMPORAL DISTRIBUTION OF TORNADOES IN THE NORTHERN MOUNTAINOUS PROVINCES]. Institute of Meteorology and Hydrology.
  2. ^ "Experts warn of dangerous weather ahead". vietnamnews.vn. 2022-05-04. Retrieved 2026-03-14.
  3. ^ "Vòi rồng là gì? Giải mã những bí mật của vòi rồng". quantrimang.com (in Vietnamese). Retrieved 2026-03-14.
  4. ^ "Vòi rồng là gì? Khám phá bí mật hiện tượng thời tiết cực đoan đáng sợ". Soha (in Vietnamese). 2021-09-09. Retrieved 2026-03-14.
  5. ^ a b "Devastating and difficult to predict: scientists explain typhoon-related tornadoes". vietnamnews.vn. Retrieved 2026-03-14.
  6. ^ a b "Tornadoes in Vietnam". Archived from the original on 2010-11-30. Retrieved 2010-04-05.
  7. ^ "Tornado kills 2, damages hundreds of homes in central Vietnam". 15 June 2007. Archived from the original on 5 October 2012.
  8. ^ "Tornado, flashfloods kill six". SGGP English Edition. 2011-06-24. Retrieved 2024-05-28.
  9. ^ "Kinh hoàng lốc xoáy ở Cờ Đỏ". baocantho.com.vn. Archived from the original on 2021-06-24. Retrieved 2025-11-01.
  10. ^ "Severe storms rip through northern Vietnam, leaving 5 people dead, over 350 homes destroyed and 6 800 damaged". 5 March 2020.
  11. ^ "Severe weather (TKCN, NCHMF) (ECHO Daily Flash of 05 March 2020)". Emergency Response Coordination Centre. 2020-03-05. Archived from the original on 2020-03-05.
  12. ^ "Tornado kills three in northern province - VnExpress International". E.vnexpress.net. 2020-06-10. Retrieved 2022-02-16.
  13. ^ "Heavy rain and tornado damage nearly 50 houses in Vinh Long - Vietnam.vn". 2023-07-02. Retrieved 2024-05-28.
  14. ^ Nguyên Anh (30 May 2025). "Khẩn trương hỗ trợ người dân khắc phục hậu quả lốc xoáy". Lao Động (in Vietnamese). Retrieved 31 May 2025.
  15. ^ "Báo VietnamNet". VietNamNet News (in Vietnamese). Retrieved 2025-11-01.
  16. ^ ONLINE, TUOI TRE (2025-08-26). "Lốc xoáy ở Ninh Bình làm 1 người chết, hơn 200 nhà dân thiệt hại". TUOI TRE ONLINE (in Vietnamese). Retrieved 2025-11-01.
  17. ^ tre, Tuoi (2025-08-27). "Tornado rips roofs off industrial buildings in Vietnam's Bac Ninh, no fatalities reported". Tuoi tre news (in Vietnamese). Retrieved 2025-11-01.
  18. ^ VnExpress. "Lốc xoáy giật tung hàng loạt mái nhà ở TP Huế - Báo VnExpress". vnexpress.net (in Vietnamese). Archived from the original on 2025-09-28. Retrieved 2025-11-02.
  19. ^ "Terrifying storm in Ninh Binh kills 9 people: Witness recounts moments of life and death". vietnam.vn. 2025-09-30. Retrieved 2026-03-14.
  20. ^ VietNamNet (2025-09-30). "Horrific tornado in Ninh Binh kills 9 people: Witness recounts life-and-death moments". vietnam.vn. Retrieved 2025-11-02.
  21. ^ Trí, Dân (2025-09-29). "Lốc xoáy ập đến vò nát nhiều căn nhà, người dân không kịp trở tay". Báo điện tử Dân Trí (in Vietnamese). Retrieved 2025-11-02.
  22. ^ thanhnien.vn (2025-09-29). "Hưng Yên: Lốc xoáy làm 2 người chết, ít nhất 8 người bị thương". Báo Thanh Niên (in Vietnamese). Retrieved 2025-11-02.
  23. ^ cand.com.vn. "Hải Phòng, Quảng Ninh: Lốc xoáy khiến nhiều người bị thương, tài sản bị hư hại nặng". Báo Công an Nhân dân điện tử (in Vietnamese). Retrieved 2025-11-02.
  24. ^ dân, Báo Công an Nhân (2025-10-07). "Tornado swept through Hai Phong, many houses were damaged". vietnam.vn. Retrieved 2025-11-02.
  25. ^ ONLINE, TUOI TRE (2025-10-29). "Lốc xoáy trong đêm làm sập nhà ở Cà Mau, thiệt hại cả tỉ đồng". TUOI TRE ONLINE (in Vietnamese). Retrieved 2025-11-02.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is available under Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 unless otherwise noted. Additional terms may apply for the media files.