Storm No.10 lashes land for 12 hours, causes severe damage

From its formation, the storm maintained an exceptionally fast speed of 30–35 km/h, about twice that of a normal storm. On the night of September 28, it made landfall in Ha Tinh–northern Quang Tri with winds of level 11, gusting to level 14. Rarely, the storm sustained hurricane-force winds over land for more than 12 hours, from 10 p.m. on September 28 until about 10 a.m. on September 29.

Its circulation triggered widespread heavy rainfall from the northern region down to Thua Thien Hue, with some places receiving over 500 mm. Gale-force winds of level 6 or higher covered 11 of 21 coastal provinces; from Ninh Binh to Quang Tri winds reached level 8, while the hardest-hit zone from Ha Tinh to northern Quang Tri saw winds at level 10–11, gusting 13–14. Floods pushed many rivers above alarm level 3, including the Kien Giang River (Quang Tri), the Ma and Chu Rivers (Thanh Hoa), the Ca River (Nghe An), and the Ngan Pho River (Ha Tinh).

According to Mr. Mai Van Khiem, Director of the forecasting center, the storm created an extreme disaster situation: destructive winds, major floods, and large-scale inundation that severely affected infrastructure and economic activities from the coast to lowlands, midlands, and mountainous areas.

Explaining why the storm weakened so slowly, Deputy Director Hoang Phuc Lam noted that it was influenced by a strong and stable subtropical high, which maintained its track and speed. Upon landfall, instead of moving deep inland, the storm traveled along the coastal belt of Ha Tinh–northern Quang Tri, reducing friction with terrain and keeping its winds strong for longer. Only after moving into the mountainous areas of Nghe An toward Laos did it rapidly lose strength.

By the morning of September 29, the storm weakened to level 8, gusting level 10, near the Vietnam–Laos border, then downgraded into a tropical depression and later into a low-pressure zone over upper Laos.

According to the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment, as of 3 p.m. on September 29, Storm No.10 had left 13 people dead, 13 missing, and over 44,000 houses damaged, unroofed, or flooded.