School Closures During Storms and Floods: Who Decides, and Why It Varies by Location

Every storm season, families with school-age children go through the same ritual: an anxious evening checking for news, then a phone check first thing in the morning to see whether school is cancelled. Many people assume that when a storm hits, the whole country simply shuts schools together. In reality, the decision in Vietnam usually comes late, varies from province to province, and sometimes even between two neighboring schools — one closes while the other carries on as normal. Understanding how this actually works helps parents plan ahead instead of just waiting and guessing.

Who actually makes the call

There is no fixed nationwide weather threshold that automatically closes schools across Vietnam. The authority to decide sits with local government — typically the provincial or district People's Committee, working together with the provincial or district Department of Education and Training. In situations affecting only a handful of communes, individual school principals are sometimes given the authority to decide for their own school.

The decision is usually based on real conditions on the ground: the storm or tropical depression's wind strength in the area, river water levels compared to alert thresholds, the flooding status of roads students actually travel on, and recommendations from the local disaster prevention and rescue command. In big cities, closures are often announced as a single directive covering the whole city. In mountainous or rural districts, the district education office may close schools only in the communes directly affected, while others in the same district continue as usual.

Why decisions differ from place to place

The same storm can affect different localities very differently, so it's entirely normal for one province to close schools while a neighboring one keeps them open. Areas near the storm's core, facing sustained winds of force 8 or higher, are usually prioritized for early closure. Areas only touched by the storm's outer bands, with winds around force 5-6, may well keep classes running.

Terrain and the route students take to school matter just as much as wind strength. In some communes, children have to cross a low-water crossing or small stream to reach school; a burst of heavy rain far upstream can send water surging there even while the sky above the commune itself stays clear. Conversely, a school sitting on higher ground with good road access may stay open through heavy rain simply because it never gets cut off. School infrastructure factors in too — a sturdy, flat-roofed building withstands strong wind far better than one with a tin roof prone to being torn off in gusts.

Why the announcement so often comes late

Parents often get frustrated that closure notices only arrive late the night before, or even early the same morning. The reason is that storms, tropical depressions, and floods change hour by hour, so local authorities typically wait for the latest observation data before committing, to avoid getting the call wrong. Closing schools too early, only for the storm to weaken or change course, means hundreds of thousands of families have already rearranged work schedules and childcare for nothing. So most decisions are weighed carefully and finalized as close to the actual time as possible.

Official notices usually go out through commune or ward loudspeaker systems, the education department's website or social media page, and parent-teacher messaging groups or apps. Some localities also broadcast updates on local television or in local newspapers at fixed times during storm season.

Signs parents can watch for themselves

While waiting for an official announcement, parents can watch a few signals to get ahead of the decision. If the local area falls within a zone warned for sustained winds of force 8 or above, or if authorities have already issued an order for people to stay off the roads, the chance of a closure is fairly high. Similarly, if the nearest river has already crossed the second flood alert level, or if the route children normally take to school has started flooding, that's a good cue to prepare for a closure even before the school confirms it.

Checking the forecast for your own area a day or two ahead, through a source that updates regularly such as province-by-province weather forecasts, helps parents plan around work and childcare instead of being caught off guard at the last minute.

What parents can do, and how make-up classes work

At most schools, parents have the right to keep their child home if the route to school looks unsafe — deep flooding, fallen trees, strong gusts — as long as they notify the homeroom teacher. In areas with low-water crossings or streams that can rise suddenly, children should never be allowed to cross moving water alone, even if the level looks shallow at the time. Families should also have a backup plan for who can pick up their child if the school sends everyone home partway through the day as conditions worsen faster than expected.

After a weather-related closure, schools typically schedule make-up classes on Saturdays or adjust the summer or Lunar New Year break depending on how many school days were missed that year. In regions that regularly face storms and floods, such as central Vietnam, the number of make-up sessions in a year can add up, so it's worth asking the homeroom teacher directly about the schedule rather than waiting for a general announcement.

School closures during bad weather in Vietnam run on a decentralized, case-by-case basis rather than a single national formula. Understanding that helps parents follow the right information channels and prepare in advance instead of reacting to rumors on social media. Visit thoitietngaymai.app for daily weather updates so you're ready well before storm season arrives.