Vietnam Typhoon History

[HurricaneBill]

Vietnam has had its fair share of typhoons. However, unlike other parts of the WPAC, typhoons that landfall on Vietnam tend to be on the weaker side. In fact, the strongest landfalling typhoons have been low-end Category 3s. However, heavy rains that can trigger floods pose the biggest threat.

The vast majority of typhoons that hit Vietnam occur between September and December. This makes sense as many of the typhoons move into the South China Sea after striking the Philippines. Fortunately, many are considerably weaker, although some do reintensify.

Occasionally, a typhoon will strike out of season and some do hit as early as April and May.

During the Vietnam War, typhoons were a common sight in Vietnam. A total of 9 typhoons struck during the war. 7 of those typhoons occured between 1971-1972.

The most typhoons to hit Vietnam in a single year was 5 during the extremely active year of 1964.

[HurricaneBill]

Between 1945-1959, 10 typhoons landfalled on Vietnam.

1947: 1 typhoon

#20 (Typhoon Cathy)
Peak: Category 3
Landfall: Category 1

1951: 1 typhoon

#15 (Typhoon Wanda)
Peak: Category 2
Landfall: Category 2

1952: 3 typhoons

#9 (Typhoon Lois)
Peak: Category 1
Landfall: Category 1

#11 (Typhoon Nona)
Peak: Category 1
Landfall: Category 1

#19 (Typhoon Vae)
Peak: Category 1
Landfall: Category 1

1953: 1 typhoon

#10 (Typhoon Ophelia)
Peak: Category 3
Landfall: Category 1

1954: 1 typhoon

#13 (Typhoon Nancy)
Peak: Category 2
Landfall: Category 1

1956: 1 typhoon

#10 (Typhoon Charlotte)
Peak: Category 3
Landfall: Category 2

1957: 1 typhoon

#16 (Typhoon Irma)
Peak: Category 1
Landfall: Category 1

1959: 1 typhoon

#22 (Super Typhoon Gilda)
Peak: Category 5
Landfall: Category 1
Deaths: 23

[HurricaneBill]

Between 1960-1969, 7 typhoons landfalled on Vietnam.

1962: 1 typhoon

#28 (Typhoon Lucy)
Peak: Category 3
Landfall: Category 1
Deaths: 5

1964: 5 typhoons

#22 (Typhoon Tilda)
Peak: Category 3
Landfall: Category 1

#23 (Typhoon Violet)
Peak: Category 1
Landfall: Category 1

#33 (Typhoon Iris)
Peak: Category 1
Landfall: Category 1

#34 (Typhoon Joan)
Peak: Category 1
Landfall: Category 1

#35 (Typhoon Kate)
Peak: Category 1
Landfall: Category 1

1967: 1 typhoon

#32 (Typhoon Freda)
Peak: Category 2
Landfall: Category 1

[HurricaneBill]

Between 1970-1979, 8 typhoons landfalled on Vietnam. All 8 occured between 1971-1973.

After 1973, Vietnam would experience a lull in landfalling typhoons that would last until 1980.

1971: 3 typhoons

#4 (Typhoon Wanda)
Peak: Category 1
Landfall: Category 1
Deaths: 125

#12 (Typhoon Harriet)
Peak: Category 4
Landfall: Category 2
Deaths: 19

#33 (Typhoon Hester)
Peak: Category 2
Landfall: Category 2
Deaths: 96

1972: 4 typhoons

#17 (Typhoon Elsie)
Peak: Category 1
Landfall: Category 1

#18 (Typhoon Flossie)
Peak: Category 1
Landfall: Category 1

#24 (Typhoon Lorna)
Peak: Category 1
Landfall: Category 1

#31 (Typhoon Therese)
Peak: Category 3
Landfall: Category 3
Deaths: 169

1973: 1 typhoon

#2 (Typhoon Anita)
Peak: Category 1
Landfall: Category 1

[HurricaneBill]

After a 7 year lull, Vietnam began to get hit with typhoons again. Between 1980-1989, 11 typhoons made landfall on Vietnam.

1980: 1 typhoon

#18 (Typhoon Ruth)
Peak: Category 1
Landfall: Category 1
Deaths: 106

1982: 1 typhoon

#24 (Typhoon Nancy)
Peak: Category 4
Landfall: Category 1
Deaths: 309

1984: 1 typhoon

#27 (Typhoon Agnes)
Peak: Category 4
Landfall: Category 3
Deaths: 1268

1985: 2 typhoons

#19 (Typhoon Andy)
Peak: Category 1
Landfall: Category 1
Deaths: 93

#22 (Typhoon Cecil)
Peak: Category 3
Landfall: Category 3
Deaths: 830

1987: 2 typhoons

#9 (Super Typhoon Betty)
Peak: Category 5
Landfall: Category 1
Deaths: 200

#10 (Typhoon Cary)
Peak: Category 2
Landfall: Category 1

1989: 4 typhoons

#4 (Typhoon Cecil)
Peak: Category 1
Landfall: Category 1
Deaths: 640

#26 (Super Typhoon Angela)
Peak: Category 4
Landfall: Category 1
Deaths: 147

#27 (Typhoon Brian)
Peak: Category 1
Landfall: Category 1
Deaths: 31

#29 (Typhoon Dan)
Peak: Category 1
Landfall: Category 1
Deaths: 73

[HurricaneBill]

Between 1990-2005, 10 typhoons have made landfall on Vietnam.

1990: 1 typhoon

#16 (Typhoon Becky)
Peak: Category 1
Landfall: Category 1
Deaths: 52

1991: 1 typhoon

#12 (Typhoon Fred)
Peak: Category 2
Landfall: Category 1
Deaths: 103

1993: 2 typhoons

#34 (Typhoon Kyle)
Peak: Category 2
Landfall: Category 2
Deaths: 165

#35 (Typhoon Lola)
Peak: Category 3
Landfall: Category 3
Deaths: 391

1995: 3 typhoons

#13 (Typhoon Lois)
Peak: Category 1
Landfall: Category 1

#27 (Typhoon Yvette)
Peak: Category 1
Landfall: Category 1

#28 (Typhoon Zack)
Peak: Category 4
Landfall: Category 3
Deaths: 448

1997: 1 typhoon

#22 (Typhoon Fritz)
Peak: Category 1
Landfall: Category 1
Deaths: 50

2001: 1 typhoon

#27 (Typhoon Lingling)
Peak: Category 4
Landfall: Category 2
Deaths: 380

2004: 1 typhoon

(Typhoon Chanthu)
Peak: Category 1
Landfall: Category 1
Deaths: 19

[AussieMark]

What about Typhoon Linda of 1997.

I remember she had a death toll of several hundred

[weatherwindow]

HB....u da man ....i went thru the 67 typhoon(altho not a direct hit) at chu lai, south of danang, quang tri province....it was the incident that piquied my interest in this craziness...............rich

[M_0331]

I went thru a typhoon in Vietnam in 1968 on a 1200 meter hill near DMZ while serving with 1st battalion, 9th Marines. We had no where to get out of the 180 mph wind, just a foxhole full of water. Worst than any hurricane I ever have been thru. It made Hugo look like a baby. We were already in ~Monsoon(raining 24/7). The fighting was actually worst during the bad weather because the NVA were on top of you before you saw them. Throw in thick fog, things were very bad.

[Aslkahuna]

There's another reason for the threat period in Vietnam being what it is. Tropical Storm formatiion in the SCS is very rare in June July and August because the Monsoon trough is usually over the land during those months and the shear associated with the monsoonal flow is generally hostile for formation. The same is the case in the North Indian Ocean.

Steve

[Pasmorade]

Resurrecting this thread well after Yagi made landfall as a high-end Cat 3...

[FireRat]

Wow it's been a long time! Yep Yagi hit as a C3, probably the worst Vietnamese typhoon since the 1881 Haiphong typhoon, and also likely the worst typhoon disaster in Vietnam since 1964, 60 years ago!