Tropical Storm Wipha made landfall in northern Vietnam at around 10:00 local time on July 22, 2025, after sweeping through Hong Kong, southern China, and the Philippines. The storm brought sustained winds up to 100 km/h (62 mph), gusts over 130 km/h (81 mph), and over 500 mm (20 inches) of rainfall in parts of Vietnam.
Wipha moved inland over Ninh Bình and Thanh Hóa, triggering flash floods, landslides, and river surges. The Red River Delta and North Central Coast suffered severe flooding, road blockages, and urban infrastructure damage.
- In Ninh Bình, flooding disrupted roads and endangered 150,000 hectares (370,660 acres) of aquaculture.
- Mountainous districts in Nghệ An, Thanh Hóa, and Sơn La saw rivers rise 3–6 meters (10–20 feet) and roads cut off by landslides.
- Cô Tô Island lost power overnight; emergency generators were dispatched.
- In Hanoi, gusts reached 60 km/h (37 mph), causing minor damage. Tornado and squall alerts remained active through July 23.
20-21 Temmuz 2025 Hanoi Vietnam 🇻🇳
— Hermes (@hermesisos) July 22, 2025
Wipha Tayfunu #poleshift pic.twitter.com/atxDUuufJ3
Before reaching Vietnam, Wipha intensified into a typhoon and struck Hong Kong on July 20, prompting the city’s highest T10 warning signal for the first time since 2023.
- Winds exceeded 118 km/h (73 mph); massive waves hit the eastern coast.
- 500 flights cancelled, 400 rescheduled at the airport.
- Schools and daycare centers closed, with public transit partially suspended.
- Hundreds sought shelter; over a dozen fallen tree reports were filed.
Macau, Zhuhai, and southern China’s Hainan and Guangdong provinces were also placed on high alert, as Wipha moved westward toward Vietnam.
From July 19–21, Wipha’s outer rainbands intensified the southwest monsoon in the Philippines, killing at least 5, leaving 2 missing, and displacing tens of thousands. Several provinces declared states of calamity.
In southern China, Wipha’s moisture caused extreme rainfall in Fujian and Guangdong—over 300 mm (12 inches) in some areas—triggering landslide warnings and reservoir discharges in the Pearl River Basin.
Vietnam’s government acted swiftly. On July 21, Prime Minister Phạm Minh Chính signed Order 112/CĐ-TTg, enforcing:
- Evacuation of flood-prone areas
- Suspension of marine and air traffic
- Deployment of 350,000+ emergency personnel
Wipha is the fourth named storm of the 2025 Northwest Pacific typhoon season. Experts point to rising sea surface temperatures in the South China Sea as a driver of storm intensity and duration.
The storm arrives less than a year after Typhoon Yagi devastated Vietnam, killing over 300 people and causing $3.3 billion USD in damages in September 2024.
