Two floods in one month, and Hanoi still has no answers
The night before heavy rains caused widespread flooding in Hanoi on Tuesday, my son asked, ‘Any announcement, Dad?’ He hoped school would be canceled. I searched too, for warnings from Hanoi’s authorities, but found nothing.
There was slight rain that night, after Typhoon Bualoi hit central Vietnam, and I assumed it would be just ordinary rain the next morning. It was not.
By Tuesday morning, we stepped out anyway. I scrolled through group chats: « Pham Hung flooded. » « Try My Dinh. » « Xuan Thuy less flooded but jammed. » Fragmented messages, pieces of a puzzle. Only on the road did I see the bigger picture: chaos thickening with the rain. Motorbikes stalled, people turned back, children waded not knowing where the street ended and the lake began. Patients were trapped on their way to hospitals. Hanoi, with nearly 9 million people, was left to fend for itself.
For two days, there was no clear guidance, only rainfall reports and routine official orders. People relied on each other, sending directions, sharing warnings, abandoning cars, wading through floodwater. Finally, the first official voice emerged, but not with solutions. Instead came a plea for sympathy: « This was an unusual natural disaster… The Department of Construction hopes for understanding. »
But Hanoi’s flooding is not unusual. It was once praised as a land where « the people do not suffer from floods, » yet history is full of inundations. The Ly Dynasty (1009-1225) built dykes and a flood-control agency. The Tran Dynasty (1225-1400) reduced taxes and distributed food after floods. The Le Dynasty (1428-1527) punished corrupt officials during disaster relief so the people would not suffer « double misery. »
Each dynasty knew floods tested not just the people, but the state itself. Natural disasters were a kind of political language: the government’s legitimacy rested on its ability to protect its citizens.
Today, disasters grow harsher with climate change. But technology makes forecasting and emergency response more effective than ever. Japan has the Tokyo Resilience Project, a 20-year plan to defend the city from every conceivable disaster: flood tunnels, reinforced infrastructure, automatic alerts. Its Tokyo Flood Response protocol sends warnings directly to phones, sets up an emergency center led by the mayor, and provides continuous updates on road closures and shelters, followed by organized restoration. Seoul and Singapore have similar systems.
Vietnam, too, has written plans. But in practice? After two major floods in one month, with a similar prolonged widespread one on Aug. 26 following Typhoon Kajiki, I saw bureaucracy stumble and Hanoi’s authorities stay silent.
Natural disasters may be unavoidable, but silence is a choice. This flood revealed not only the fragility of Hanoi’s infrastructure, but also the gap between citizens’ needs and official action. Streets will be cleared, cars repaired. But lost trust is far harder to restore.
If climate disasters are the test, Hanoi has failed the first question. What matters now is whether the city can replace outdated, cumbersome processes with clear early-warning systems, fast decision-making and true accountability.
A government is not judged by words after the damage, but by its ability to stand as a real pillar when the water rises.
By Bui Phu Chau – VnExpress.net – October 2, 2025