Journeys Home Through Central Vietnam's Deadly Floods

A man's journey to save his family during a natural disaster is a story of determination, resilience, and love. Nguyen Ngoc Tin, 31, embarked on a harrowing 500 km trip from Ho Chi Minh City (HCMC) to Phu Yen province, driven by the urgency of rescuing his mother and grandmother from the devastating floods.

The ordeal began on the night of November 19 when Tin received a desperate call from his mother. Her voice was trembling as she described the chaos around her. "The water has swallowed our one-story house. Your grandmother and I are sitting on the roof, hungry and thirsty, and no one has come to help," she said. Shortly after, he lost contact with her, which only intensified his resolve to act.

Tin knew that the road ahead would be treacherous. He decided to leave HCMC at noon on November 20, loading his car with food and drinking water. His plan was to take National Highway 1, the main route connecting the southern city to the central region. However, as he approached the central part of Vietnam, the rain worsened, and the situation became increasingly dire.

The further he traveled, the more severe the conditions became. Many areas were flooded, with water levels so high that entire concrete medians had been swept away. By 11 p.m., Tin found himself stuck in a massive traffic jam at the Ca Pass tunnel in Van Ninh District, Khanh Hoa Province—just 60 km away from his home. Hundreds of vehicles were backed up, and drivers were exhausted, slumped over their wheels after hours of waiting.

Faced with an impossible situation, Tin made a tough decision. He abandoned his car by the roadside and asked a friend to send a motorbike from HCMC. During the 20-hour wait, he survived on just water, saving the food for his mother and grandmother.

On the night of November 21, the motorbike finally arrived. Tin immediately set off into the darkness, navigating the dangerous terrain of Ca Pass, where cars were banned due to the severe flooding and landslides. The path was littered with boulders and slabs of concrete, making the journey extremely perilous.

As he moved forward, Tin witnessed a remarkable sight: groups of motorcyclists working together in single file, clearing debris and opening a path through the stormy night. This image remains etched in his memory—a testament to the strength and solidarity of people facing nature’s wrath.

Tin’s journey was not just about reaching his family—it was a symbol of hope in the face of adversity. His actions highlighted the challenges faced by many during the floods, including blocked roads, lack of resources, and the urgent need for assistance. Despite the odds, he pushed forward, driven by love and the desire to protect those he cared about most.

At 2 a.m. on November 22, after more than 48 hours without sleep, Tin finally reached home. The modest house had been wrecked and was in complete darkness due to a power cut.

Seeing that his mother and grandmother had been taken to safety by neighbors, he burst into tears.

On the night of November 20 bricklayer Dang Ngoc Ninh, 36, who works in Dong Nai Province, was also battling his way home to Dong Hoa Ward, Dak Lak Province. Hearing that the hydropower plant had released floodwaters and that only a few packs of instant noodles were left at home while water was lapping at the door, he decided to ride his old motorbike back.

Dang Ngoc Ninh’s motorbike, caked in mud during his trip home on Nov. 21, 2025. Photo courtesy of Ninh

Ninh’s journey was stormy from start to finish.

He suffered a tire blowout in Ninh Thuan Province, forcing him to walk the motorcycle for kilometers.

With the old vehicle lacking a headlight, he had to use the lights from other vehicles to see. Meanwhile, the endless beeping of a failed connection that met his efforts to call home set his nerves jangling.

Streams of motorbikes bearing license plates starting with 78, for Phu Yen, the coastal area of Dak Lak province, were racing through the rain, seemingly headed for their hometowns.

When he reached Ca Pass, only a narrow, jagged strip of road remained. Gale-force winds lashed him. "Soaked and shivering, I had to change my raincoat four times," he says.

In Phu Lam, a coastal area of Dak Lak, the floodwaters were so high that his motorbike stalled. Exhausted, he was lucky that truck drivers stranded there helped push his vehicle along.

In the early hours of Nov. 21 Ninh reached the front yard of his house just as the water had begun to recede. Seeing him caked in mud from head to toe, his eldest daughter dashed out and threw her arms around him.

Ninh’s family had gone a whole day without food, huddling together in a small attic. After cleaning the house, he got back on his motorbike to tour the commune, updating relatives and neighbors who were still far from home and unable to return. "Being away from home myself, I know just how desperately they crave news," he says.

But not everyone was as fortunate as Tin and Ninh. On the morning of Nov. 21 Huynh Nhu, 30, jumped off a bus stuck on Ca Pass and walked more than 20 km back to her home in Dong Hoa Ward.

Her elderly parents and older brother had been battling the floodwaters for days without food. On the landslide-stricken mountain road, hundreds of people from Phu Yen also left their buses behind and walked home like she did.

Nhu collapsed many times from exhaustion but kept clutching the bundle of food inside her jacket. After four hours on foot, she reached home, but it was already too late. "My brother died in the flood," Nhu said, her voice hoarse.

Her family had held his funeral on the morning of Nov. 22.

According to the Department of Dyke Management and Natural Disaster Prevention and Control, the recent floods in the south-central region have left 72 people dead, with Dak Lak accounting for 44 of them.

On Nov. 22 the water began to recede, but hundreds of thousands of households are still living without electricity or clean water and urgently need support to recover.