Over 3,800 lightning strikes hit Ho Chi Minh City during two days of heavy rain

Ho Chi Minh City recorded 3,810 lightning strikes during heavy thunderstorms on Sept. 30 and Oct. 1, including more than 2,000 ground strikes, which represent the highest daily totals recorded in nearly two years.

Lightning over central Ho Chi Minh City, with the 81-story Landmark 81 building on the left, as viewed from a pedestrian bridge at Thao Dien metro station on the evening of Oct. 1, 2026. Photo by VnExpress/Quynh Tran

Data from the Department of Meteorology and Hydrology under the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment showed the city experienced 2,573 lightning strikes during heavy rain on Sept. 30.

This included 1,457 ground strikes, with the remainder occurring within the clouds.

Phu Giao Commune in the former Binh Duong Province was the hardest-hit area, recording nearly 1,200 strikes between 1 a.m. and 5 a.m.

On Oct. 1, another 1,237 lightning strikes were recorded across the city.

Nearly half of these hit the ground during heavy downpours between 5 p.m. and 7 p.m.

Binh My Commune in the former Cu Chi District alone recorded 464 strikes over a three-hour period.

Comparison of total lightning strikes on Sept. 30 and Oct. 1 with the period from Jan. 1, 2024 to Oct. 2, 2026 in Ho Chi Minh City. Orange represents ground strikes, while green represents lightning within clouds. Data from the Department of Meteorology and Hydrology

Thunderstorms were concentrated mainly in the city's northwest and southeast, including the former areas of Binh Duong, Cu Chi, and Binh Chanh.

Since the beginning of 2025, the Sept. 30 storm marked the second-highest number of lightning strikes recorded in Ho Chi Minh City.

It trails only May 10 of last year, when nearly 5,000 strikes were recorded over a 24-hour period.

No lightning-related casualties were reported in the city over the two days. However, on Sept. 30, residents of an urban area on Nguyen Xien Street in Long Truong Ward in the former Thu Duc City recorded a direct lightning strike in an open field.

The Department of Meteorology and Hydrology attributed the unusually frequent lightning to upper-atmospheric disturbances combined with wind convergence and a low-pressure trough.

These natural conditions created an environment conducive to the strong development of convective clouds, allowing electrical charges to accumulate rapidly in the humid, unstable atmosphere.

Vietnam lies at the center of the Asian thunderstorm region, one of the world's three major thunderstorm centers, and experiences about 2 million lightning strikes each year.

Department statistics show the country averages 100 thunderstorm days and 250 thunderstorm hours annually, with lightning occurring most frequently in the northern mountainous and midland regions, as well as the southern delta.

These strikes pose a severe danger to people outdoors and can be fatal.

On Sept. 25, a woman riding a motorbike during a thunderstorm in Truong Vinh Ward in central Nghe An Province was struck by lightning, causing her to lose control and crash. She was taken to a local hospital in critical condition.

A man rides a kayak boat on Phan Huy Ich Street in Ho Chi Minh City on the evening of Sept. 30 as floodwater rises to more than one meter high. Photo by VnExpress/Thanh Tung

The widespread rain on Sept. 30 and Oct. 1 also caused severe flooding in many parts of HCMC.

Affected areas included Phan Huy Ich Street, roads around Thu Duc Market, the former Go Vap District, and the expat hub of Thao Dien, with water rising over one meter in some locations.

Heavy downpours during rush hour caused severe congestion at the Hang Xanh Roundabout, around the Ba Son Bridge in the city center, and on roads connecting to Tan Son Nhat International Airport.

The severe weather forced numerous flights arriving in Ho Chi Minh City to circle, divert, or delay their landings.