Torrential rain "white sky", many houses damaged
In the afternoon of May 2nd, in Minh Luong and Nam Xe communes (Lao Cai province), hail appeared at about 4:45 pm, lasting 10 minutes but with strong intensity. People said that the rocks fell thickly, large stones about 2cm in diameter, covering many areas white.
In a short time, many fibro cement roofs were punctured or blown off; crop areas were crushed. Fortunately, no casualties were recorded.
At the same time, in Thai Nguyen, heavy rain accompanied by thunderstorms and hail occurred on a large scale, causing serious damage.
According to records, many stones with a size of 1–3cm, fell thickly, punctured corrugated iron roofs, blew roofs, green trees were broken and fallen, and belongings were swept away.
In Phu Lac and Hop Thanh communes alone, hundreds of houses had their roofs blown off, 3 schools were heavily damaged, and more than 20 power poles were broken, causing many areas to lose power.
Not only causing damage to houses, hail also devastated large areas of tea and fruit trees - the main crops of the locality right in the harvest season.
Crops heavily damaged
In Phu Tho, thunderstorms accompanied by tornadoes and hail occurred in many localities, causing significant damage.
Yen Son commune alone recorded 38 households with roofs blown off, 180 broken roofing sheets; nearly 30 hectares of rice and more than 12 hectares of corn were broken. Local authorities have urgently supported the relocation of people, cleared fallen trees, and ensured traffic safety and grid electricity.
Meanwhile, Thanh An commune, Dien Bien province recorded hailstorms lasting about 10 minutes but dense density. Many stones as big as the tip of a big toe covered the fields, breaking and collapsing ripe rice, crushing vegetables and fruit trees.
Not only crops are damaged, strong gusts of wind also damage barns and auxiliary works, causing people to face many difficulties in production and living.
The cause is strong disturbances caused by cold air.
Not only the hailstorm on May 2, from the beginning of 2026 to now, many northern mountainous provinces have continuously recorded hailstorms and thunderstorms with strong intensity, causing significant damage.
In Lao Cai, in April 2026 alone, some localities such as Bac Ha, Si Ma Cai experienced many hailstorms, causing dozens of houses to have their roofs blown off, and many areas of crops to be crushed. Functional forces had to mobilize soldiers and militia to support people to re-roof houses and reinforce works.
In Tuyen Quang and Son La, early-season thunderstorms also appeared accompanied by scattered hail, causing damage to crops, especially fruit trees and corn and rice in the growing stage. Some areas also recorded large-sized rocks, causing corrugated iron roofs to be punctured, directly affecting people's lives.
Notably, in March and April 2026, many highland communes in Dien Bien experienced widespread hailstorms, with damage estimated at billions of VND in some places.
According to the National Center for Hydro-Meteorological Forecasting, the continuous appearance of hail right from the beginning of the season shows that the weather trend is increasingly extreme and difficult to predict.
Strong convection phenomena form quickly, with a wide scope of influence, short duration of occurrence but high intensity, making prevention work difficult.
The meteorological agency also noted that hail often appears during the transitional season (April–May and October–October). However, in recent years, the frequency and intensity have tended to increase, the scope of impact is wider, causing unpredictable damage.
Faced with extreme weather diễn biến, local authorities have urgently deployed forces to support people to overcome the consequences: re-roofing houses, clearing fallen trees, checking electrical systems, and statistics of damage.
Functional sectors recommend that people limit going out when there is a storm, proactively reinforce houses, barns, and cover crops; do not shelter under large trees or power poles to avoid risks...
