Haiphong picks itself up after typhoon

Following Yagi’s landfall on September 7, transportation and communication lines in Haiphong were disrupted, with many roads flooded. Deep flooding paralysed traffic, while many households faced power and water outages.

According to information from Haiphong Power Company, around 400,000 of the city’s 500,000 electricity customers were unable to use electricity.

Haiphong’s power, highways, and telecoms services were affected, photo Thanh Son

Quynh Nga, a resident of An Lao district, said, “From September 7-10, prolonged power and water outages made life very difficult. I had to buy water from stores while waiting for the supply to be restored. Although prices didn’t increase, the lack of water was inconvenient. Additionally, there was no phone signal, making communication challenging.”

Vu Van Khanh, a resident of Do Son district, told VIR, “We lost power and phone signal, so we couldn’t contact the outside world. My family stayed at home, hoping the storm would pass quickly. I’ve never seen such a prolonged typhoon with such strong gusts. Our food service and guest house business suffered heavy damage, estimated at over VND3 billion ($120,000).”

Typhoon Yagi also negatively impacted economic production activities in Haiphong. Bruno Jaspaert, general director of DEEP C Industrial Zones Vietnam, which has over 170 projects and factories in Haiphong and Quang Ninh province, said that its factories, hosting many large domestic and foreign companies with over 14,000 workers, was closed for some time.

“The typhoon caused widespread power outages, flooded highways, disrupted telecommunications, and halted economic activities. Some leaders and workers in Haiphong’s industrial parks (IPs) reported that by the end of September 8, they still had no electricity or internet and were struggling to protect equipment and goods from rain due to blown-away factory roofs,” Jaspaert said.

According to Le Trung Kien, head of Haiphong Economic Zones Management Authority, businesses in IPs experienced significant damage due to fallen trees, with damage rates ranging 30-90 per cent. Some areas faced localised flooding during the storm. Many businesses had their roofs blown off, walls torn or collapsed, and gates, fences, signs, camera systems, and rolling metal doors overturned.

According to Kien, businesses and IPs are urgently addressing the situation. By September 9, power was restored to all businesses, though they are taking steps to ensure continued electrical safety. Conditions for resuming smooth production, such as water and internet access, have largely been restored. By the morning of September 10, about 95 per cent of businesses in IPs had resumed operations.

Meanwhile, Cat Ba, a popular tourist destination in the area, was isolated from the mainland from September 6 to September 9. The island lost electricity, water, transportation, and telecommunications from September 7, and it was not until midday on September 9 that the first ferry resumed operation, allowing people from outside to see the storm’s aftermath on the island.

A resident of Cat Ba told VIR, “After the typhoon passed, the condition of Cat Ba town was devastating. Trees, metal roofs, refrigerators, and freezers were scattered on the streets. The strong winds first blew off metal roofs and glass, then shifted direction, breaking all the trees. Many newly built restaurants, operating for only a few months, suffered severe damage. Some of these newly invested restaurants lost over $40,000 due to wind damage to their facilities. The extent of the damage was beyond imagination.”

Since the typhoon occurred, Haiphong has been actively implementing measures to address the storm’s consequences. Haiphong Urban Environment Co., Ltd. has mobilised 140 specialised vehicles and nearly 1,500 staff members to collect and process waste after the storm.

At the same time, repairing essential infrastructure such as power supply, water supply, restoring communication systems, drainage, and environmental sanitation is also being prioritised to quickly bring people’s lives back to normal. Damaged roads that have not been repaired have also been marked to avoid dangers for road users.

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