The country of Vietnam experiences multiple tornadoes annually. Between 1993 and 2000, there were a total of 317 tornado occurrences 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
editA 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
editPre-2000s
edit| Event | Date | District/Ward | Province | No. of Tornadoes | Casualties |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gia Lương district tornado | 10 June 1961 | Gia Lương | Bắc Ninh | 1 | Unknown |
| The earliest known report of a tornado in Vietnam. Several buffalos was lifted or carried tens of meters away by a tornado that left a 7km (4.35mi) long and 10–20 m (33–66ft) 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, several concrete bridge supports collapsed.[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
edit| Event | Date | District/Ward | Province | No. of Tornadoes | Casualties |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| An Biên tornado | 10 April 2000 | Thứ Ba town | Kiên Giang | 1 | 4 injured |
| At 03:00 pm local time, a breif tornado touchdown near the town of Thứ Ba, An Biên district, Kiên Giang, injuring 4. 100 buildings collapsed, a school and a hospital was also damaged.[7] | |||||
| 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.[8] | |||||
| Cái Mép Port tornado | 10 July 2009 | Tân Phước ward | Hồ Chí Minh City | 1 | None |
| A photogenic hybrid tornado move through areas of the then constructing Cái Mép port. No damages nor injuries were reported.[9] | |||||
2010s
edit| Event | Date | District/Ward | Province | No. of Tornadoes | Casualties |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tropical Storm Haima | 23 June 2011 | Thủy Nguyên | Hải Phòng | 1 | 2 fatalities, 55 injured |
| Tropical Storm Haima spawned multiple supercells that resulted in at least one confirmed tornado in An Lu Commune, 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.[10] | |||||
| 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.[11] | |||||
| Hanoi derecho | 13 June 2015 | Hanoi and several other provinces | Hanoi | 2 | - |
| A destructive derecho event impacted much of the Hanoi metropolitan areas and spawned at least 2 tornadoes in the outskirts, with many structures damaged or destroyed. The derecho as a whole killed 2 and injured 5 others, though unknown casualties were directly related to the tornadoes.[12][13] | |||||
| Typhoon Damrey | 4 November 2017 | Núi Thành, Mộ Đức, Bình Sơn | Đà Nẵng | 3 | 15 injured |
| A localize tornado outbreak impacted several communities in Đà Nẵng as a part from Typhoon Damrey. The first tornado touchdown in Đức Phong commune, Mộ Đức district, unroofing 40 homes and knocking down many electric poles. 2 more tornadoes would also touchdown in Bình An commune, Bình Sơn district and Tam Hải island commune, Núi Thành district respectively, collapsing 2 house with 11 injuries, 4 serious. It also damaged 96 others. In total 136 houses were impacted with 3 injuries.[14] [15] | |||||
2020s
edit| Event | Date | District/Ward | 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.[16][17] | |||||
| 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.[18] | |||||
| Tân Lộc Bắc tornado | 25 July 2021 | Hòa Thành | Cà Mau | 1 | 1 fatality, 3 injured |
| This nocturnal tornado impacted 6 homes, 2 of which completely collapsed. In one of the collapsed house, a family was crushed when a brick wall and debris fell onto them, killing one and injuring 3 others.[19] | |||||
| Phú Sơn Tây tornado | 27 October 2021 | Hòa Tiến | Đà Nẵng | 1 | None |
| A brief tornado damages around 18 homes, with 4 completely unroofed. No casualties were reported.[20] | |||||
| Vĩnh Long province tornado | 29 June 2023 | Long Hồ, 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. Meanwhile, in Mang Thít and Tam Bình districts, a total of 35 houses suffered partial damages.[21] | |||||
| An Biên district tornado | 30 May 2025 | An Biên | Kiên Giang | 1 | None |
| At approximately 08:30 local time, a tornado hit Nam Yen Commune in An Biên district, damaging at least 6 homes.[22] | |||||
| Typhoon Kajiki | 25-26 August 2025 | Kim Bang, Nông Cống, Yên Phong and Đông Ngạc ward | 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.[23][24][25] | |||||
| Vật Lại, Hanoi | 30 August 2025 | Ba Vì | Hanoi | 1 | None |
| The remnants of Typhoon Kajiki produces a series of storms, one of which became tornadic and produce a large, multi-vortex tornado in Vật Lại commune, Ba Vì, Hanoi. The tornado damages or destroyed at least 25 homes and businesses in the community.[26] | |||||
| 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 injured |
| 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.[27] 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.[28][29][30] Another tornado struck Thái Thụy district in Hưng Yên province, killing two people and injuring at least eight.[31] Two more tornadoes struck Vĩnh Bảo district in Hải Phòng, and Đầm Hà district in Quảng Ninh province, resulting in 12 additional injuries.[32] 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 | Chu Van An ward | 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.[33] | |||||
| Thanh Tùng commune tornado | 28 October 2025 | Đầm Dơi | Cà 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.[34] | |||||
| Typhoon Kalmaegi | 6 November 2025 | Sơn Tịnh district | Quảng Ngãi | 1 | None |
| At around 17:00 local time, a tornado formed by Typhoon Kalmaegi hit four villages in Long Phung commune where it damaged 45 homes.[35][36] | |||||
| Phú Ninh district tornado | 16 November 2025 | Chien Dan commune | Đà Nẵng | 1 | 4 injured |
| A tornado hit Chien Dan commune at around 22:00 local time where it damaged a total of 56 structures, including 27 homes with three of them destroyed. Four people were injured from the tornado and were taken to a nearby hospital.[37] | |||||
| Nguyễn Nghiêm and Binh Dinh tornadoes | 17 November 2025 | Nguyen Nghiem commune | Quảng Ngãi & Gia Lai | 1 | None |
| Around thirty minutes past midnight, a tornado hit two villages in Nguyen Nghiem commune, Quảng Ngãi where it damaged at least 20 homes.[38] Hours later, another tornado hit Binh Dinh ward, Gia Lai where it damaged 11 homes.[39] | |||||
| Ba Vì tornado | 3 March 2026 | Ba Vì commune | Quảng Ngãi | 1 | None |
| At around 16:30 local time, a tornado damaged 116 houses and several crops in Ba Vì commune. Homes had their roofs blown off and trees were uprooted as the tornado hit the area for around 30 minutes before dissipating.[40] | |||||
| Thượng Bằng La tornado | 21-22 March 2026 | Thượng Bằng La district | Lào Cai | 1 | 2 injured |
| A multi-day severe weather event unfold across much of northern Vietnam, including this tornado during midnight in Thượng Bằng La district, Lào Cai, damaging over 600 homes (included those affect by severe winds). Large hail was also reported with this storm complex.[41] | |||||
| Hồng Sơn tornado | 2 June 2026 | Hồng Sơn | Lâm Đồng | 1 | None |
| A brief tornado damaged at least several homes in hamlet 4 in Hồng Sơn district, Lâm Đồng.[42] | |||||
| Sơn Linh tornado | 15 June 2026 | Sơn Hà | Quảng Ngãi | 1 | None |
| A tornado was reported in Sơn Linh district, Quảng Ngãi, with at least 70 homes affected.[43] | |||||
See also
editReferences
edit- 1 2 3 4 5 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.
- ↑ "Experts warn of dangerous weather ahead". vietnamnews.vn. 2022-05-04. Retrieved 2026-03-14.
- ↑ "Vòi rồng là gì? Giải mã những bí mật của vòi rồng". quantrimang.com (in Vietnamese). Retrieved 2026-03-14.
- ↑ "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.
- 1 2 "Devastating and difficult to predict: scientists explain typhoon-related tornadoes". vietnamnews.vn. Retrieved 2026-03-14.
- 1 2 "Tornadoes in Vietnam". Archived from the original on 2010-11-30. Retrieved 2010-04-05.
- ↑ NLD.COM.VN (2002-04-12). "Lốc xoáy làm 4 người bị thương". Báo Người Lao Động Online (in Vietnamese). Retrieved 2026-06-09.
- ↑ "Tornado kills 2, damages hundreds of homes in central Vietnam". 15 June 2007. Archived from the original on 5 October 2012.
- ↑ "Hình ảnh về lốc xoáy xuất hiện ở Vũng Tàu". VnExpress. July 21, 2009.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ↑ "Tornado, flashfloods kill six". SGGP English Edition. 2011-06-24. Retrieved 2024-05-28.
- ↑ "Kinh hoàng lốc xoáy ở Cờ Đỏ". baocantho.com.vn. Archived from the original on 2021-06-24. Retrieved 2025-11-01.
- ↑ News, VietNamNet. "Báo VietnamNet". VietNamNet News (in Vietnamese). Retrieved 2026-06-09.
{{cite web}}:|last=has generic name (help) - ↑ VnExpress. "Hai người chết, hàng nghìn cây đổ vì giông lốc ở Hà Nội". vnexpress.net (in Vietnamese). Archived from the original on 2025-04-20. Retrieved 2026-06-09.
- ↑ ONLINE, TUOI TRE (2017-11-04). "Quảng Nam lốc xoáy làm sập nhà, ba cha con bị thương nặng". TUOI TRE ONLINE (in Vietnamese). Retrieved 2026-06-15.
- ↑ ONLINE, TUOI TRE (2017-11-09). "Xã đảo Tam Hải tan hoang sau lốc dữ". TUOI TRE ONLINE (in Vietnamese). Retrieved 2026-06-15.
- ↑ "Severe storms rip through northern Vietnam, leaving 5 people dead, over 350 homes destroyed and 6 800 damaged". 5 March 2020.
- ↑ "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.
- ↑ "Tornado kills three in northern province - VnExpress International". E.vnexpress.net. 2020-06-10. Retrieved 2022-02-16.
- ↑ ONLINE, TUOI TRE (2021-07-25). "Lốc xoáy nửa đêm làm sập nhà đè 1 người chết". TUOI TRE ONLINE (in Vietnamese). Retrieved 2026-06-15.
- ↑ thanhnien.vn (2021-10-28). "Lốc xoáy kinh hoàng ập đến làm hư hại 18 căn nhà ở Đà Nẵng". Báo Thanh Niên (in Vietnamese). Retrieved 2026-06-15.
- ↑ "Heavy rain and tornado damage nearly 50 houses in Vinh Long - Vietnam.vn". 2023-07-02. Retrieved 2024-05-28.
- ↑ 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.
- ↑ "Báo VietnamNet". VietNamNet News (in Vietnamese). Retrieved 2025-11-01.
- ↑ 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.
- ↑ 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.
- ↑ Phong, Báo điện tử Tiền (2025-08-30). "Hà Nội: Tôn bay, cây đổ do giông lốc". Báo điện tử Tiền Phong (in Vietnamese). Retrieved 2026-06-09.
- ↑ 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.
- ↑ "Terrifying storm in Ninh Binh kills 9 people: Witness recounts moments of life and death". vietnam.vn. 2025-09-30. Retrieved 2026-03-14.
- ↑ VietNamNet (2025-09-30). "Horrific tornado in Ninh Binh kills 9 people: Witness recounts life-and-death moments". vietnam.vn. Retrieved 2025-11-02.
- ↑ 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.
- ↑ 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.
- ↑ 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.
- ↑ dân, Báo Công an Nhân (2025-10-07). "Tornado swept through Hai Phong, many houses were damaged". vietnam.vn. Retrieved 2025-11-02.
- ↑ 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.
- ↑ "Fierce tornado in Quang Ngai causes dozens of houses to lose roofs". news.laodong.vn. 2025-11-06. Retrieved 2026-03-31.
- ↑ "South Central region devastated after typhoon Kalmaegi". SGGP English Edition. 2025-11-08. Retrieved 2026-03-31.
- ↑ "Tornado rips through Da Nang's southern part, damaging dozens of homes". Tuoi tre news (in Vietnamese). 2025-11-17. Retrieved 2026-03-31.
- ↑ "Lốc xoáy quét qua ngôi làng ở Quảng Ngãi, nhiều mái nhà bị xé toạc". TUOI TRE ONLINE (in Vietnamese). 2025-11-17. Retrieved 2026-03-31.
- ↑ "Lốc xoáy quét qua làm tốc mái 11 nhà dân tại Gia Lai". TUOI TRE ONLINE (in Vietnamese). 2025-11-17. Retrieved 2026-03-31.
- ↑ "Khẩn trương khắc phục hậu quả lốc xoáy ở Ba Vì". TUOI TRE ONLINE (in Vietnamese). 2026-03-04. Retrieved 2026-03-31.
- ↑ baodientuvtv (2026-03-23). "Mưa dông kèm lốc xoáy ở Lào Cai làm hàng trăm ngôi nhà bị tốc mái, 2 người bị thương". BAO DIEN TU VTV (in Vietnamese). Retrieved 2026-06-09.
- ↑ trường, Báo Nông nghiệp và Môi (2026-06-03). "Lốc xoáy gây thiệt hại nhà dân ở xã Hồng Sơn". nongnghiepmoitruong.vn (in Vietnamese). Retrieved 2026-06-09.
- ↑ BaoQuangNgai. "Lốc xoáy gây thiệt hại nhà cửa, tài sản người dân xã Sơn Linh". Lốc xoáy gây thiệt hại nhà cửa, tài sản người dân xã Sơn Linh (in Vietnamese). Retrieved 2026-06-15.