Vietnamese Christians Impacted As Typhoon Bualoi Kills Dozens Across Vietnam And Southeast Asia

Key Facts

Published: October 18, 2025 Location: Hanoi Source: Original Reporting from Worthy News, Barnabas Aid, Wire Services

• At least 51 people were killed in Vietnam and 20 in the Philippines as Typhoon Bualoi triggered deadly floods and landslides across Southeast Asia.
• Christian charity Barnabas Aid is working with Vietnamese churches to provide emergency relief to affected Christian families.
• Thousands of homes were damaged and tens of trillions of dong in infrastructure losses were reported
• over 87,000 hectares of crops were flooded.
• Many affected families, including Christians like Nguyen in Thanh Hóa Province, lost their homes, livestock, and income sources
• some children were hospitalized from contaminated water.

by Stefan J. Bos, Worthy News Chief International Correspondent

HANOI, VIETNAM (Worthy News) – Christian aid workers have raised the alarm over the suffering of Christian communities in Vietnam after at least 51 people were confirmed dead in the country and 20 more in the Philippines as Typhoon Bualoi and its aftermath brought devastating floods and landslides to Southeast Asia.

Christian charity Barnabas Aid told Worthy News that it is partnering with a “network of Vietnamese churches looking to provide emergency aid” to families who lost homes and livelihoods in the storm’s wake.

Among those affected is Nguyen, a Christian in Thanh Hóa Province, northern Vietnam.

“Thank God my children and I are safe,” she said in remarks shared with Worthy News. “I just hope the children recover soon, and that we can raise some fish and chickens to survive.”

FAMILIES STRUGGLE TO RECOVER

Nguyen and her husband said they lost nearly all their chickens and all their fish — their primary source of income — when floodwaters swept through their small farm. Three of their children were hospitalised after drinking contaminated water.

“Our family are farmers, reliant on a small fish pond and some chickens for an income,” Barnabas Aid confirmed. “Many of their chickens died in the floods, while all their fish were swept away. … Three of Nguyen’s children were hospitalised with diarrhoea, vomiting, and fever after accidentally drinking contaminated water.”

The charity said Nguyen’s story represents many Christian families facing similar hardship after Typhoon Bualoi and the subsequent Typhoon Matmo, which struck Vietnam later that week.

Footage obtained by Worthy News showed a church building in Thái Nguyên Province almost entirely submerged by floodwaters.

OFFICIAL DAMAGE REPORTS

Vietnamese disaster authorities reported on October 3 that Typhoon Bualoi and the resulting floods had killed 51 people nationwide and destroyed or damaged nearly 200,000 homes.

The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development said more than 87,000 hectares of rice and crops were inundated.

In the Philippines, officials confirmed at least 20 deaths from Bualoi’s earlier passage, primarily due to drowning and falling debris.

Infrastructure losses across Vietnam are estimated in the tens of trillions of dong (hundreds of millions of U.S. dollars), and authorities have allocated 140 billion VND ($5.75 million) in emergency funds for the hardest-hit provinces, including Thái Nguyên, Cao Bằng, Lạng Sơn, and Bắc Ninh.

CHURCHES AND GROUPS RESPOND

Barnabas Aid suggested that local churches support displaced families, many of whom are Christians already facing restrictions in the Communist-run nation.

“Doubtless you can empathise with Nguyen’s mixed emotions — thankfulness to God that she and her family survived mixed with concern about what happens next,” the organization said.

Barnabas Aid has launched an emergency appeal to provide food, clean water, medicine, hygiene kits, and other necessities.

“The Word of God reminds us to be open-handed towards those of our brothers and sisters who endure poverty and great need,” Barnabas Aid said, citing Bible verse Deuteronomy 15:11.

Latest Worthy News