At a press briefing on Sept. 16, Ngo Manh Ha, deputy director of the Department of Water Resources Management, warned that the El Nino event could cut river flows by as much as 78 % in some parts of central Vietnam, the Central Highlands and the southeast.

He said the expected flow deficits could be between 15 % and 78 % below long‑term averages, matching or even exceeding the shortfalls recorded during the severe droughts of 2015‑2016 and 2019‑2020.

The drop would affect about 70‑80 % of hydropower reservoirs, especially 130 large ones, which may not be able to store enough water, threatening the country’s energy security.

Around 29 million people could face water shortages that impact household use, production, business and services, while roughly 800 000 hectares of farmland may lack sufficient irrigation water.

About 65 % of irrigation facilities might fail to reach their designed storage capacity, making it harder to allocate water for farming, industry and daily needs.

Ha stressed that the government must start storing water now, during the flood season of ten river basins, and develop basin‑specific water‑use plans to reduce the risk for 2027.