Central Vietnam Floods And Storm Koto Hit Trains, Coast

Published on Nov 28, 2025, 8:29 pm CST

11 min read

Key points

Severe floods and landslides since mid November have killed dozens in central Vietnam and cut key road and rail links
Vietnam Railways has suspended or cancelled dozens of north south passenger trains, leaving thousands of travelers temporarily stranded
National highways into Da Lat and other highland hubs are blocked or heavily delayed by landslides and damaged bridges
Khanh Hoa and Lam Dong provinces have imposed sea bans that halt tourist boats, fishing trips, and many coastal excursions
Ho Chi Minh City and other coastal areas have curtailed or rerouted sightseeing cruises because of strong winds and high seas tied to Storm Koto
Travelers heading for central Vietnam beaches or overland trips in the coming weeks should add significant buffer time and prepare backup routings

Impact

Where Impacts Are Most Likely: Expect the toughest conditions in Dak Lak, Gia Lai, Lam Dong, Khanh Hoa, and other central provinces where flooding and landslides have washed out roads and tracks
Best Times To Travel: Plan essential moves for stable weather windows, avoid heavy rain days in official forecasts, and favor midday travel when visibility is better and emergency repairs are more likely to be active
Connections And Misconnect Risk: Assume missed same day connections on the north south railway and between coastal hubs and the Central Highlands, and avoid tight self made links between trains, buses, and flights
Onward Travel And Changes: Hold flexible tickets where possible, prioritize routes with alternative road or air options, and be ready to reroute via Ho Chi Minh City or Hanoi instead of cutting through flooded central corridors
What Travelers Should Do Now: Recheck itineraries that include Nha Trang, Da Lat, Hoi An, or Central Highlands loops, confirm train and tour status one to two days ahead, and consider postponing purely leisure beach trips into heavily affected provinces

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Anyone planning central Vietnam floods trains and coastal trips now faces a much more fragile network, because weeks of extreme rain have triggered lethal floods and landslides from Quang Tri to Lam Dong, killing at least dozens and cutting core highways and rail lines. Vietnamese and international reports describe Dak Lak and Khanh Hoa as among the worst hit provinces, with entire communities cut off and rail tracks submerged or undermined. The result for travelers is a mix of long delays, stranded trains, and detoured buses that now demands larger buffers, fallback routes, and a much more conservative approach to same day connections.

The central Vietnam floods and Storm Koto are disrupting the north south train spine and coastal trips around provinces such as Dak Lak and Khanh Hoa, which means many travelers will need to accept rerouting, forced stopovers, or postponements if they want itineraries to remain safe and workable.

Central Provinces Move From Isolated Floods To Sustained Crisis

Government disaster bulletins outline a sustained rain event from about November 16 to 22 that dumped more than 1,500 millimeters of rain on some central districts, with subsequent downpours keeping rivers high and slopes saturated. By late November, Vietnam's disaster management authorities and wire services were converging on a death toll of at least 90 people across central provinces, with Dak Lak alone accounting for dozens of fatalities and others reported in Khanh Hoa, Lam Dong, Gia Lai, Da Nang, Hue, and Quang Tri.

The flooding has submerged tens of thousands of homes, wiped out large tracts of crops, and knocked out power to hundreds of thousands of households at various points in the crisis. Relief operations are ongoing in rural districts and smaller towns that many backpackers and domestic tourists visit for coffee farm tours, waterfalls, and homestays, which means visitor movements intersect directly with emergency logistics and road repair crews.

A Flash Update from UN humanitarian monitors characterizes the episode as widespread flooding across the central region, particularly Dak Lak, Gia Lai, Lam Dong, and Khanh Hoa, following sustained rainfall from November 16 to 22, with additional heavy rain possible. The United States Embassy has issued both flooding and storm alerts that explicitly warn of isolation, washed out roads, and loss of access to vital services in those same provinces and advise against non essential travel into heavily affected areas.

North South Trains Face Cancellations And Stranded Passengers

For many visitors, the most concrete impact is on Vietnam's north south railway, which links Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City and carries popular SE series trains through coastal provinces like Khanh Hoa and the Central Highlands corridor.

Vietnam Railways reports that since November 17 it has cancelled at least 25 passenger trains because of flooding, landslides, and unsafe track conditions, leaving more than 2,000 passengers stuck at stations and on halted services while staff arranged food, water, and rebooking. A later update from Vietnam News Agency says that by late morning on November 23 prolonged heavy rain and floods across Gia Lai, Quang Ngai, Dak Lak, and Khanh Hoa had forced the suspension of 44 passenger trains in total, with more than 21,000 tickets refunded.

Several of those halted trains carried foreign tourists. Local English language outlets and travel media have highlighted the experience of travelers stuck on board for 48 to 72 hours as water covered the tracks in south central Vietnam, including one widely covered case of a Czech passenger on train SE2 and French visitors rescued after their SE1 train was stranded in Gia Lai Province. Railway staff reportedly organized additional meals, kept air conditioning and lighting running where possible, and coordinated transfers once replacement buses and safe tracks became available, but the basic lesson for travelers is that even flagship north south services cannot be treated as time certain when central Vietnam is under flood conditions.

Looking ahead, authorities are working to restore damaged sections, but rail passengers should expect rolling cancellations and diversions through at least early December, with the possibility of new washouts if further heavy rain bands arrive behind Storm Koto.

Highways Into Da Lat And Coastal Hubs Remain Vulnerable

Parallel to the rail issues, multiple national highways have been cut or constrained by landslides and roadbed failures. Vietnamese outlets report that in Lam Dong Province, Mimosa Pass and D Ran Pass on National Highway 20, two key gateways into Da Lat, suffered major landslides with soil and rock covering the road and leaving some segments impassable. Provincial authorities have declared a natural disaster emergency and warned that certain stretches may not fully reopen until the end of November.

Elsewhere, the Ministry of Construction has ordered flood affected provinces to prioritize urgent restoration of key transport routes, highlighting ongoing congestion on National Highway 1 in Khanh Hoa as crews work through damaged sections and lingering high water. That matters for long distance buses and for private drivers following the coastal spine, because even when roads are technically open, queues around one lane sections and temporary bridges can stretch travel times far beyond normal schedules.

Travelers using Da Lat as a cool weather stop between Ho Chi Minh City and the coast need to treat the route as dynamic rather than guaranteed. Operators may reroute buses, cancel same day trips with short notice, or push departures to daylight hours when landslide monitoring is easier.

Storm Koto Adds Sea Bans And Coastal Closures

On top of the existing inland flooding, central Vietnam is now dealing with Storm Koto, the fifteenth named system in the region this year. Vietnam's meteorological agencies and regional centers say Koto entered the East Sea in late November and has followed an erratic track in the waters off the south central coast, with sustained winds strong enough to generate four to nine meter waves in offshore areas and gusts well above that threshold in some forecasts.

Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh has ordered the highest level response, directing localities to finalize evacuation plans and relocate residents from zones prone to flash floods, landslides, and storm surge, while the General Staff has tasked military regions with shoring up dykes, reservoirs, and high risk slopes in provinces already battered by November flooding.

Crucially for tourists, Khanh Hoa and Lam Dong have both imposed sea bans as Koto approaches. Vietnam News Agency and other outlets report that coastal authorities in Khanh Hoa, home to Nha Trang, have ordered a halt to all boats and ships, including tourist vessels, fishing boats, transport craft, and floating fish farms, from 7:00 a.m. on November 28 until further notice. Similar bans apply in parts of Lam Dong's coastal district, with officials banning all vessels and investigating the disappearance of at least one fisherman near Lien Huong.

Ho Chi Minh City has also temporarily suspended or rerouted some sightseeing tours to coastal areas with strong winds at sea, including popular runs toward Vung Tau, as a precaution linked to Koto. That means even travelers who are not in the core flood provinces may see marine tours canceled or reconfigured on short notice.

For beach travelers, the immediate effect is a sharp reduction in snorkeling, diving, island hopping, and coastal cruising around Nha Trang and nearby resorts, plus choppy seas and beach closures even where hotels remain open. Those who have been planning Nha Trang day trips from Ho Chi Minh City or multi stop coastal itineraries should plan as if marine activities may be offline for several days at a minimum.

Background, Flood And Storm Season In Central Vietnam

Central Vietnam sits in a convergence zone where northeast monsoon flows and warm sea air combine to produce intense late year rainfall, especially from October through December. In 2025 the region has already endured Typhoon Kalmaegi and other systems that brought airport closures and port shutdowns earlier in November, before this latest flood event took hold.

The current crisis is therefore not a one off shock but the latest wave in a difficult season. Soil that was already saturated by earlier storms has been more prone to landslides, and repair teams have been working in compressed windows between heavy rain bands. For travelers, that interaction between repeated storms and vulnerable terrain explains why seemingly modest forecast changes can still generate major disruptions to both inland and coastal trips.

A separate Adept Traveler report on Typhoon Kalmaegi and Super Typhoon Fung Wong already mapped how central Vietnam airports and sea routes react when strong cyclones cross the region, and that earlier pattern of flight cancellations and ferry suspensions now sits behind the inland flooding and sea bans linked to Storm Koto.

How To Plan Central Vietnam Trips In The Coming Weeks

In the near term, travelers should assume that rail, road, and coastal operations in central Vietnam will remain irregular. Anyone booked on the north south railway should monitor Vietnam Railways announcements closely, use official booking channels or reputable agents, and keep one or two plan B routes in mind, for example rerouting by air between Ho Chi Minh City and Da Nang or Hue if critical legs remain blocked or heavily delayed.

When itineraries include Da Lat, Gia Lai, or other Central Highlands hubs, it is prudent to avoid tight same day connections with international flights. Instead of landing and immediately boarding an overnight bus into the hills, consider staying a night near Ho Chi Minh City or at a coastal waypoint while checking highway conditions and local operator updates. Landslide clearance work on passes like Mimosa and D Ran will likely operate in bursts, and sudden closures can turn a normal half day transfer into an all day or even multi day delay.

Beach travelers headed for Nha Trang, Cam Ranh, or nearby islands should work from the assumption that marine plans can be canceled with little warning as long as Storm Koto and any trailing systems influence the region. Booking refundable or changeable excursions, confirming departure status the evening before each outing, and having land based alternatives such as spa days, city walks, or inland excursions ready will make it easier to salvage value from a trip even when boats are tied up.

It is also important to think about the broader skeleton of a Vietnam itinerary. Travelers who planned to travel overland from Hanoi to Ho Chi Minh City or the reverse might now split that into sections, for example flying over the most disrupted central stretch and focusing surface travel on more stable northern or southern legs until repairs progress. Building in buffer nights in large hubs where multiple modes intersect, such as Ho Chi Minh City, Da Nang, and Hanoi, reduces the chance that a single train cancellation or road closure will cascade into missed international flights.

On the aviation side, airports such as Da Nang International Airport (DAD) and Cam Ranh International Airport (CXR) remain operational, but access roads from inland areas and along the coast can be slowed or temporarily blocked, so travelers should leave more time than usual to reach the terminal and be prepared for weather related delays if outer rain bands persist.

Finally, this is a period when travel insurance, especially policies that explicitly cover weather disruption and trip interruption, can provide meaningful protection. However, most insurers require travelers to purchase coverage before a known event, and the current floods and Storm Koto are firmly in the public record, so new policies may exclude them as named events. Anyone already holding coverage should review conditions and keep receipts for extra nights and reroutings in case claims are possible.