Typhoon Matmo Dips to Tropical Depression as Rain Lashes Vietnam

Typhoon Matmo has significantly weakened and is now classified as a tropical depression, centered over southern Guangxi, China. This change occurred at 7 a.m. on Monday, with the storm expected to bring rainfall to Vietnam's northern mountainous region.

Matmo initially made landfall in Guangxi Province early Monday, with wind speeds ranging between 61–74 kph. After crossing the Leizhou Peninsula and reaching the Guangxi coast at dawn, the storm rapidly lost strength due to terrain friction and the depletion of oceanic energy.

According to Vietnam's National Center for Hydro-Meteorological Forecasting, by 7 a.m., the tropical depression was located over southern Guangxi, with maximum sustained winds of 61 kph. It is moving westward at a speed of 20–25 kph. The system is expected to head toward Vietnam's northern mountains, where it will continue to weaken and eventually become a low-pressure area by Monday.

The trajectory of Typhoon Matmo. Graphics by Vietnam Disasters Monitoring System

In the northern Gulf of Tonkin, including Bach Long Vi Island, strong winds of 39–49 kph and waves reaching 2–3 meters were observed on Monday morning. On land, Quang Ninh and Lang Son provinces experienced gusts up to 39–49 kph.

Vietnam's northern mountainous and midland regions are anticipated to receive between 100–200 mm of rain, with some areas receiving more than 300 mm, from Monday morning until Tuesday night. In certain locations, downpours could exceed 150 mm within three hours.

In Hanoi, rainfall is forecasted to range between 50–100 mm, with local areas expecting over 150 mm. Thunderstorms, whirlwinds, and strong gusts are also possible during this period.

Matmo originated from a tropical depression over the eastern Philippines on September 2. A day later, it crossed Luzon and entered the East Sea, becoming the 11th storm in the basin in 2025. By Sunday morning, the storm had strengthened to wind speeds of 134–149 kph while being approximately 70 km east-northeast of Hainan Island (China) and about 420 km from Quang Ninh Province, which includes Ha Long Bay.

Prior to Matmo, ten storms and four tropical depressions had developed in the East Sea. The most recent, Typhoon Bualoi, struck central Vietnam on September 29 with wind speeds of 103–117 kph, bringing heavy rain and tornadoes from Hue to northern Vietnam.

Bualoi resulted in 67 people being reported dead or missing and caused damages exceeding VND18.8 trillion (US$740 million). In Hanoi alone, rainfall reached 120–600 mm within 24 hours, leading to 116 flooded locations with water depths ranging from 0.3–0.5 m, and up to 1–1.5 m in some areas.

The flooding disrupted daily life, paralyzed traffic, and forced many schools to close. As of Sunday, more than 2,000 households in low-lying areas of the capital city remained inundated.