A sudden and powerful hailstorm swept through two districts of Vientiane Capital on the afternoon of 22 March, leaving more than 5,400 families without shelter, power, and essential supplies.
The storm struck at around 4 PM, bringing strong winds, heavy rain, and large hail that tore through Sikhottabong and Naxaythong districts with little warning.
By the time the storm passed, 5,490 houses across 17 villages had been damaged, nine people were injured, and critical infrastructure, from schools and temples to a local health center and a military compound, lay in ruins, state media reported.
The worst of the destruction fell on Sikhottabong, where 10 villages and 5,012 homes bore the brunt. Viengkham village alone recorded 1,593 damaged houses and eight of the nine reported injuries, followed by Chansawang with 1,200 households affected. In villages such as Phonsomboun and Tadthong, hundreds of structures were completely destroyed, leaving dozens of families with nothing.
Naxaythong district, while less severely hit, still saw 478 homes damaged across seven villages.
Beyond crumbling walls, 53 vehicles were damaged and five schools were left unusable.
The Ministry of Labour and Social Welfare immediately deployed emergency relief worth over LAK 1.4 billion (roughly USD 65,000), including rice, drinking water, kitchen sets, hygiene kits, mats, and blankets, with aid distributed through a three-tier system based on the severity of each household’s losses.
On the infrastructure front, engineers from the state electricity enterprise worked around the clock from the night of the storm, establishing a field coordination and completing full grid restoration across all 10 affected villages in Sikhottabong by 25 March, just three days after the disaster struck.
March and April in Laos mark the transition from dry season to early wet season, a period known for sudden, violent thunderstorms despite sitting outside the peak typhoon months.


