Typhoon Wipha hits Vietnam as Philippines Flood Displaces Thousands

Typhoon Wipha became a severe tropical storm after sweeping across the Philippines, then skirting Hong Kong and southern China with heavy winds and rain, before making landfall in northern Vietnam—causing flooding, flight disruptions, and triggering evacuations across affected regions.

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Context: Tropical cyclone Wipha made landfall in northern Vietnam. Impacted Vietnam, China (especially Hainan and Guangdong), and the Philippines.

Typhoon Wipha

Typhoon Wipha, or Severe Tropical Storm Crising as it is also referred to in the Philippines, has recently produced substantial effects in Southeast Asia, especially in the Philippines, Hong Kong, Southern China, and Vietnam during mid-July 2025.

Timeline and Path

July 16, 2025: Wipha began as a powerful disturbance in the Philippine Sea.
July 19, 2025: Strengthened to a tropical storm and moved over remote northern Luzon in the Philippines before slowly strengthening into a severe tropical storm.
July 20, 2025: Landed on the coast of Taishan city in southern Guangdong province of China, following a pounding of Hong Kong.
July 21, 2025: Slowed its pace and kept moving towards northern Vietnam, gaining strength over the Tonkin Gulf.
July 22, 2025: Landed in northern Vietnam, then slowly dissipated into a tropical depression as it progressed inland.

Impacts and Damages

Philippines (Severe Impacts)

Strengthened the southwest monsoon, resulting in extensive flooding.
Affected more than 1.9 million people, displacing over 107,000.
17 deaths reported, 7 injured and 9 missing.
Damages amounting to more than ₱4.22 billion (US$85.63 million).
Widespread infrastructure destruction: 57 roads and 8 bridges impassable, more than 1,700 houses destroyed, and 1,153 damaged.
Power loss in 76 cities/municipalities, major flight cancellations, and grounded passengers/vessels.
Declared states of calamity in several places due to widespread flooding and landslides.
Distinguishing events: rockslides, a big boulder crushing a house and car in Baguio, compelled fishing of fishery stock, two ship groundings, and several barges running aground. UNESCO World Heritage San Agustin Church in Manila was flooded.

Hong Kong

Struck the city as a typhoon/severe tropical storm.
Resulted in severe flight disruptions (approximately 500 flights canceled, impacting 80,000 travelers).
Felled trees (more than 470 reported), knocked down scaffolding, and resulted in 26 individuals being treated in hospital.
Public transport was halted and amusement parks were shut down.

Southern China (Guangdong, Guangxi, Hainan)

Faced powerful winds, heavy rain, and interruptions to flights and high-speed rail services.
Remnants of the storm, mixed with monsoon activity, resulted in torrential rains in areas such as Shandong province, where it killed two people and left 10 missing after recording half a year’s amount of rain in five hours.

Vietnam

Weakened to a tropical storm before making landfall, with strong winds and heavy rainfall.
Triggered a Prime Ministerial directive to make preparations for high rainfall (up to 500mm in some places) and the threat of landslides and flooding.
Operations at airports and ports in the north were halted.
More than 150,000 hectares of aquaculture farms and 20,000 floating fish cages were under threat.
There were no immediate casualties reported in Vietnam, but the assessment is still on.

Thailand

Wipha and the southwest monsoon delivered heavy to very heavy rain across northern, northeastern, central, and southern provinces, triggering warnings of flash floods, runoffs, and landslides.
The government warned small boats against navigating due to high tides.

About Tropical Cyclone

A tropical cyclone is a rapidly rotating storm system originating over warm tropical oceans, characterised by: a low-pressure centre (called the eye), strong rotating winds, heavy rain, and thunderstorms.