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Local officials had no warning of the impending dam discharge. Their first emergency message simply told residents“not to go outside” and not to evacuate.

As floodwaters rose, communication infrastructure collapsed. But instead of prioritizing transparency, authorities shifted immediately into information control.

While rescue teams struggled to reach isolated villages, local volunteers and self-organized aid groups became the first and only responders. Their videos showed bodies tied to trees to prevent drift, entire hamlets washed away and people stranded for 48–72 hours without food or clean water.

These accounts suggested the death toll was far higher than official numbers. Instead of verifying these reports, police announced they had “handled over 50 cases” of spreading“false information” without releasing names, charges or evidence.

Censorship took the place of communication; intimidation trumped accountability.

Vietnam has built hundreds of hydropower dams across the Central Highlands and south-central region. Many required clearing natural forests, more than 200,000 hectares over the past decade, eliminating the landscape's ability to absorb water.

Hydropower was justified as“clean energy,” but the system now functions as a high-risk web of private operators prioritizing electricity revenue; outdated, inflexible dam-operation protocols; inadequate downstream warning systems; and a political culture resistant to admitting structural flaws.

When combined with climate change-intensified rainfall, these weaknesses created a lethal mix. Vietnamese survivors are not reflexively attacking the state. They are asking rational questions:

• Why was the reservoir full before days of predicted heavy rain?
• Why did local authorities receive no warning?
• Why does Vietnam have nationwide SMS systems to solicit donations - but not to warn citizens before a dam release?
• Why were people punished for reporting deaths while villagers were still waiting for help?

These questions are not political. They are the minimum standard of modern disaster governance.

Vietnam is not lacking in scientific capacity. It is lacking, however, in the political will to reform hydropower management and create real-time emergency alert systems. The Ba Ha disaster shows why this must change.

Disastrous governance

To protect citizens and restore trust, Vietnam must launch a criminal investigation into the Song Ba Ha Hydropower Plant's decisions between November 14–19. Authorities should publish all reservoir logs, rainfall data and operational orders.

Authorities must modernize dam-operation rules with mandatory pre-release requirements and establish a national emergency alert system accessible to every citizen. At the same time, they should guarantee that reporting on disasters is not and cannot be criminalized.