Landslides and riverbank erosion threaten residents in Vietnam

Severe land erosion and landslides are threatening communities across different regions in Vietnam following heavy rainfall.

In Quang Tri Province, riverbank erosion along an 11 km stretch of the Nhat Le River in Quang Ninh Commune is affecting over 4,800 households. The erosion has caused significant loss of agricultural land, with some areas encroaching within 50 meters of residential areas and graves. Local residents have attributed the worsening situation to both natural weather patterns and suspected illegal sand mining, calling for permanent embankments to protect livelihoods.

In Thanh Hoa Province, heavy rains have caused a massive crack over 1,000 meters long to appear on Na Lo Hill in Dong Luong Commune. The subsidence, which reaches depths of 1.5 meters in some spots, poses a direct threat to lives, property, and provincial road 530B. Authorities have evacuated 34 households, including 18 families slated for relocation under a provincial resettlement project for high-risk areas. Previous landslides in the area have already damaged nine homes and fractured 400 meters of road.