So we’d wanted to take a multi-day trip by train through Vietnam from Ho Chi Minh City (aka Saigon) in South Vietnam up the coast through some towns, hoping off here and there, and arriving in the capital, Hanoi.

Unfortunately, Vietnam has just received massive rainfalls which has induced flooding in many areas. Some places have gotten almost 1000mm of rain in just 2 days. At least 21 people have died, 20+ more are missing, and 30,000+ homes are now submerged displacing a large number of people. The province of Quang Binh got the worst of it. Crops are destroyed, livestock washed away. Roads and the main North-South railway link are damaged…

Conditions are improving now but category 4 typhoon Sarika, which just nailed the Philippines with 130mph winds leaving 15000 people displaced, has a trajectory for Vietnam and China with landfall expected on Wednesday.

And adding to that, Typhoon Haima, which is possibly approaching super typhoon status (sustained winds of 150+ mph), is coming towards the Philippines and afterwards will probably also affect weather in Vietnam starting next weekend.

Soooooo… not the greatest conditions in weather weary SEA these days. We’ll keep our eyes on things as they develop and adjust our plans accordingly while we’re there. I looked around for a place to donate but could only find the general Red Cross page. If something specific to the flooding comes up I’ll post it.