A year after typhoon floods, northern Vietnam has 20 new flood-resilient homes and 100 repaired

When floodwater rose about 1.5 meters during the 2025 typhoons, 76-year-old Hoàng Thị Liên lost much of her home in Đồng Hỷ commune, in Vietnam's northern Thái Nguyên province. On 2 October she moved into a new disaster-resilient house, one of 20 built under a recovery project funded by Australia and run by the UN Development Programme, UNDP said.

The project has also repaired 100 damaged houses and given cash assistance to 1,340 households. Construction of Liên's house had only just started when officials last visited in May.

Two typhoons in two weeks flooded more than 200,000 homes

Typhoons Bualoi and Matmo hit northern Vietnam in quick succession in late September and early October 2025, bringing floods and landslides. In Thái Nguyên alone, the disaster inundated more than 200,000 homes and caused an estimated VND 4,300 billion in losses, roughly $160 million, according to UNDP.

Bualoi alone, by 3 October 2025, had killed at least 51 people across Vietnam, with 14 missing, and the environment ministry put damage at up to $600 million, eNCA reported at the time.

Roads, cooperatives and trained volunteers alongside the houses

Housing is only part of the program, which Vietnam requested after the floods. Three pieces of community infrastructure, such as roads, have been built, and support for 10 local cooperatives is under way.

In Bến Đò Hamlet, in Linh Sơn Ward, a new 300-meter road now serves about 200 households and gives access to nearly three hectares of farmland. Local people, including women, were paid to help build it through cash-for-work. The ward's disaster response team received training and equipment for future emergencies.

“Resilient recovery is not simply about rebuilding what was damaged. It is an opportunity to reduce future risks and strengthen the capacity of communities to withstand disasters.” — Francesca Nardini, UNDP Deputy Resident Representative in Viet Nam

Naomi Cook, the Australian Embassy's development counsellor, said Liên's house "represents something much bigger. It demonstrates how recovery support can help communities not only rebuild after disasters, but become safer and more resilient to future shocks."

Nguyen Truong Son, deputy director general of the Viet Nam Disaster and Dyke Management Authority, said restoring homes, livelihoods and infrastructure "must go hand in hand with strengthening local preparedness and response capacity."

Small numbers next to the damage

Set against hundreds of thousands of damaged homes, 20 new houses and 100 repairs are a small share. The program focuses on poor and vulnerable households. The release does not give the project's budget or describe which design features make the new houses flood-resilient.

Elsewhere in Southeast Asia, flood protection is also being built into recovery and development work. Near Cambodia's Tonle Sap, new landfills, sewers and flood defenses are improving life for about 114,000 people.

The delegation from Australia, UNDP and Vietnam's disaster authority also met Nông Quang Nhất, head of the Thái Nguyên Provincial People's Committee, during the visit. Communities in neighboring Cao Bằng province, also hit in 2025, are rebuilding as well, according to UNDP.