Mr. Dinh Truong Giang, Party Secretary of Son Tay Commune in Quang Ngai Province, confirmed on the morning of November 19 that authorities had urgently evacuated all teachers and students from Son Long Primary and Secondary Boarding School for Ethnic Minorities after successive landslides occurred on the hillside behind the campus.
The previous day, at around 7 a.m. on November 18, a major landslide struck the rear slope behind the school’s boarding and staff housing blocks, sending tens of cubic meters of earth and rock—estimated at 50 cubic meters—toward the eastern side of the two-story building, which houses ten rooms (five for student dormitories, five for teacher accommodation). The incident posed a severe threat to the safety of the entire structure.
Local authorities inspected the site overnight and observed continued instability on the slope, noting a high risk of further collapse. The area had also experienced a significant landslide on October 29, which inundated the same two-story block, including classrooms and the school’s dining hall.
Mr. Nguyen Van Hung, the school principal, said that classes in the affected building have been temporarily relocated to subject-based classrooms and record rooms. Boarding students have been redistributed into single-story classrooms, while teachers were moved to the school’s administrative offices and the former Son Long Commune People’s Committee building to ensure their safety.
The school is working closely with local authorities to mobilize personnel to clear mud and debris, restore drainage systems, and mitigate the risk of further landslides. Authorities continue to monitor geological conditions closely to implement timely preventive measures.
In related incidents caused by ongoing rainfall and flooding, the DH83 road section from Ong Duong Pass to 1C Hydropower Plant in Son Tay Ha Commune has been partially washed away by floodwaters, with roughly one-third of the roadway eroded, forming a deep undercut and posing a high risk of accidents. Officials have cordoned off the area, posted warning signs, and temporarily halted all pedestrian and vehicle traffic.
