Yesterday afternoon and evening, localized hailstorms occurred in some mountainous and midland areas of the Northern region, lasting for short periods during thunderstorms and causing some damage in Son La and Phu Tho provinces.
This morning, the Vietnam Disaster and Dyke Management Authority under the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment reported on the hailstorm situation and natural disasters occurring in some mountainous and midland provinces of Northern Vietnam.
Between the evening of March 22 and the morning of March 23, the northern mountainous region recorded rainfall ranging from 10 to 30 millimeters, with several stations reporting higher levels, including Bac Ha in Lao Cai Province at 45mm, Dong Ha 2 in Tuyen Quang Province at 62mm, and Coc Pang in Cao Bang Province at 34mm.
According to information from Son La and Phu Tho provinces, hailstorms occurred locally in Phieng Khoai Commune of Son La Province for about 10-15 minutes, with hailstones commonly 1-3cm in diameter, crushing and dropping numerous plums that were in the fruiting stage, and breaking many branches. At the same time, in Ngoc Chien Commune in Son La Province and some areas in Phu Tho Province, hailstorms appeared suddenly during thunderstorms, forcing people to temporarily stop traffic and move vehicles to sheltered areas.
According to the meteorological agency, this phenomenon occurred during the transitional weather period, with remaining cold air combined with rapidly rising temperatures, causing atmospheric instability and increasing the risk of thunderstorms, hailstorms, and strong gusts of wind in the northern mountainous region.
According to reports from the Departments of Agriculture and Environment of Lao Cai, Lai Chau, and Dien Bien provinces, rain accompanied by thunderstorms caused 2 injuries and 1 house collapse in Lao Cai Province. Some 824 houses had their roofs blown off or were damaged.
The Vietnam Disaster and Dyke Management Authority reported that local authorities promptly mobilized resources to support affected communities, helping residents recover and stabilize their lives in the aftermath of the hailstorms. The agency further noted that on March 23, the Northwest region experienced scattered showers and thunderstorms both during the day and at night, with conditions conducive to tornadoes, lightning, and strong gusts of wind.
The Northeast region and provinces from Thanh Hoa to Hue City experienced scattered rain, with some areas having fog in the early morning, and decreasing cloud cover with sunny weather in the afternoon. The South Central coastal region, the Central Highlands region, and the Southern region maintained sunny weather during the day, with scattered showers and thunderstorms in the evening and at night, with the possibility of tornadoes, lightning, and strong gusts of wind during the thunderstorms.
The Vietnam Disaster and Dyke Management Authority reported that, alongside the ongoing heatwave, the Southern region is facing significant saltwater intrusion. From March 23 to March 31, the 4‰ salinity boundary is projected to extend deep into major river mouths — 55–60 km along the Vam Co Dong and Vam Co Tay rivers, 35–45 km at the Cua Tieu and Cua Dai rivers, 45–55 km at the Ham Luong river, 40–47 km at the Co Chien river, 35–45 km at the Hau river, and 30–35 km at the Cai Lon river. Despite this intrusion, the highest salinity levels recorded at monitoring stations remain below the peak levels observed in March 2025.
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