The southeast Asian country is prone to monsoon storms and floods, which frequently claim hundreds of lives every year. Typhoon Son Tinh -- the third tropical storm to hit Vietnam since the start of the year -- made landfall Wednesday night, damaging infrastructure and crops through Thanh Hoa and Nghe An provinces. Heavy rains have continued in the wake of the typhoon, unleashing floods and landslides across vast areas of the country, including in the capital Hanoi. State media ran images of floods in remote areas where villagers are using boats to move around. Last year, 389 lives were claimed by natural disasters, with material damages reportedly reaching $2.6 billion, the government said.

Source: The Nation Bangkok July 21, 2018 09:33 UTC