Is the scary legend "Year of the Dragon, storms and floods" true or not?

For more than a century, Vietnam has suffered many historic floods that experts say "occur once in a hundred years", causing many provinces and cities to be submerged in water and thousands of people to die.

Every year of the Dragon, Vietnam suffers from many big storms and floods. Over the past 100 years, there have been "great floods" that have haunted our country, and are still occasionally mentioned today as evidence of the harsh Dragon years.

1844: From Hanoi to Hue was devastated

According to historical records of the Nguyen Dynasty, in the 19th century, Vietnam suffered many catastrophic floods and storms, of which the floods in 1844 were particularly severe, affecting both the North and Central regions.

Specifically, in the North, the water level of the Nhi River (Red River) rose to over 4 meters. Many villages and fields in Hung Yen, Hanoi, Nam Dinh, and Quang Yen were submerged in water, causing heavy losses in human lives and property.

In the Central region, Hue experienced heavy rain and strong winds, flooding the Citadel up to 4.2 meters deep. The flagpole in front of the Citadel was broken by strong winds, something that had never happened since the Citadel was built.

According to statistics, the whole Thua Thien province had more than 1,000 deaths, 2,000 houses completely collapsed. In Quang Tri, the water was 6.72 meters deep, 79 people died underwater, more than 3,000 houses collapsed.

1904: The South suffered heavy losses

The South is a good land, rarely having storms and floods, but in the year of Giap Thin 1904, there was a terrible storm that caused great flooding, commonly known as "The Year of the Dragon, Storms and Floods".

This historic flood occurred on May 1, 1904, due to a major storm, at the same time high tides caused 10 meter high waves to hit the shore, sweeping across the southern coastal region all the way to Cambodia. The localities that suffered the greatest damage were Dinh Tuong, Go Cong, My Tho, Tan An, Saigon - Cho Lon. Many coastal villages in Go Cong were swept away. Due to heavy rains, floodwaters rose rapidly, in some places reaching a depth of 3 meters.

According to statistics, Dinh Tuong and Go Cong provinces had 5,000 deaths, concentrated in coastal villages. In Saigon - Cho Lon, the death toll reached more than 3,000 people.

Also in the year of Giap Thin 1904, major floods occurred in the Central region, from Hue to Nghe An. In Thua Thien-Hue, a very strong storm appeared on September 11, 1904, causing many human and property losses, many architectural works in the capital and communal houses, pagodas and temples were damaged, more than 50,000 hectares of rice fields in the low-lying areas of the Huong River basin and Tam Giang lagoon were flooded by salt water, causing continuous crop failures in the following years. This natural disaster caused heavy damage to Thua Thien province: 22,027 houses collapsed, 529 boats drifted or sank, 724 people died.

Giap Thin 1964: Great flood swept through Quang Nam land

In 1964, an unprecedented flood occurred in Quang Nam, leaving a mark in the minds of a generation of local people as "the great disaster of the year of the Dragon". This was one of the most serious flood and storm disasters in Vietnam in the 20th century.

The disaster was caused by torrential rains that began on November 4, 1964. On November 7, 1964, a solar eclipse occurred, which was also the peak of the heavy rains. The rain continued unabated and the floodwaters came. The floodwaters flowed rapidly, pouring down the mountain like a waterfall, so strong that they tore apart clusters and sections of the mountain, carrying away rocks as big as houses.

Wherever the water flowed, houses and fields were devastated. Many villages along the Thu Bon and Vu Gia rivers were almost wiped out. According to statistics, this great flood took 6,000 lives in Quang Nam.

Dong An village (Que Phuoc commune, Nong Son district, Quang Nam province) was the place that suffered the most pain when the flood swept away all the houses, leveled the village and took the lives of almost everyone in the village. The village had a population of nearly 1,500 people, only 19 people survived the disaster.

Following the 60-year cycle, super typhoon Yagi 2024 recently made landfall in Northern Vietnam, causing devastation in many provinces and cities. Quang Ninh, Hai Phong, and Hanoi were devastated by the storm, suffering countless damages. After the storm, other provinces and cities such as Phu Tho, Lao Cai, Yen Bai, Hai Duong, Thai Binh... were submerged in water. The damage caused by typhoon Yagi has yet to be specifically measured, but everyone can see that the numbers are extremely terrible.

Just the above 3 evidences are enough to make many people affirm that "the year of the Dragon has storms and floods" is real. But going back in time a little, it seems that the year of the Dragon has been "misunderstood". Specifically, in the year of Binh Thin 1976, Vietnam did not have a single storm. Or then in the year of Canh Thin 2000, there were only 2 storms. In addition, some years had big storms and floods but were not the year of the Dragon such as Binh Ngo 1966, Mau Ngo 1978, Tan Mui 1991, Tan Dau 1981, Giap Ty 1984... Therefore, there is not enough basis to say that every year of the Dragon will have continuous storms and floods.

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