Factory design in Central Vietnam is always a challenging task as businesses must face harsh natural risks, especially storms and floods. This region, stretching along a narrow coastal strip, contains many low-lying areas and is directly affected by storms with wind speeds exceeding level 12 and prolonged heavy rain. These natural phenomena not only threaten the safety of factories but also lead to major economic consequences such as property damage, production disruptions, supply chain breakdowns, and a decline in corporate reputation.
A concerning reality is that many businesses still lack full awareness of the severity of natural disaster risks when designing and constructing factories in Central Vietnam. As a result, they make inappropriate design and investment choices, focusing on short-term cost savings while neglecting essential technical standards for storm safety. This places businesses in a "save now, pay later" situation and the price to pay can be very costly.
Therefore, factory design must be approached as a strategic technical and economic issue, requiring thorough investment right from the design stage to ensure maximum safety, long-term cost savings, and sustainable production.
Factories in Central Vietnam are directly impacted by strong storms, often reaching wind levels of 12–13, which are particularly dangerous when combined with tornadoes or sudden gusts. Under these conditions, if the factory structure is not accurately designed, roofs may be blown off, and walls or structural frames may twist or collapse completely.
A common mistake is the application of standard prefab factory designs used in areas with less severe weather, without adjusting for the harsh risks of the region. Steel frames are often not reinforced to required standards, bolts are of regular grade without anti-corrosion coating, and joints lack sufficient strength all becoming fatal weak points during storms.
Due to the coastal terrain with many low-lying zones, factory sites in Central Vietnam are highly susceptible to deep flooding from prolonged rainfall and high tides. Some areas also face flash floods and strong currents. These events can damage equipment and materials and even isolate entire factories, causing prolonged production shutdowns.
Therefore, raising the factory foundation and implementing effective drainage and flood prevention systems are not optional, they are essential. Many businesses underestimate this aspect, resulting in the recurring problem of "fleeing floods" every storm season, heavily impacting assets, machinery, and productivity.
Besides storms, Central Vietnam also suffers from intense heat, with temperatures exceeding 40°C in the summer. The wide temperature difference between day and night, combined with the greenhouse effect from traditional metal roofing, can turn factory interiors into furnaces — affecting workers' health, equipment efficiency, and drastically increasing cooling costs.
Focusing only on storm resistance while ignoring insulation and heat resistance will force businesses to pay the price in energy costs and skyrocketing operational expenses.
Pre-engineered steel frames can still be suitable but must be significantly adjusted. Columns, trusses, and beams should be designed with 20–30% higher load-bearing capacity than standard, reinforced with multi-tier cross-bracing systems, and connected with high-strength bolts coated to resist corrosion from the salty coastal environment. This is not merely about thicker steel, it’s a comprehensive structural solution designed to withstand vortex winds.
A frequent mistake is reinforcing only individual parts like columns or trusses, ignoring the need for a unified structural system, leaving hidden vulnerabilities that may fail under strong winds.
The roof bears the strongest wind pressure. Using seamlock metal roofing or high-performance interlocking panels is no longer just recommended, it's mandatory. Roof slope not only affects drainage but also determines uplift force during high winds. Factory roofs should be designed with slopes between 15–30 degrees to reduce uplift force and minimize water accumulation during heavy rains.
Some businesses use basic roofing screws to save costs, failing to meet wind resistance standards, resulting in mass roof blow-offs during major storms, an expensive lesson no one wants to repeat.
Factory walls in Central Vietnam cannot simply be made from sheet metal or regular bricks — they must be reinforced concrete with horizontal and vertical bracing at key stress points. Doors and windows should use high-impact rolling doors or tempered aluminum-glass systems, equipped with strong locks to prevent breakage, pressure loss, and roof suction.
Businesses often overlook windows and doors as secondary elements, yet 80% of roof failures begin with door and window breaches that disrupt interior pressure.
Factory floors must be raised by at least 50–80 cm and equipped with independent drainage systems and intermediate reservoirs to cope with localized flooding when public infrastructure is overwhelmed.
Many factory design failures in Central Vietnam stem from skipping independent drainage investments from the beginning, resulting in prolonged flooding simply because external systems couldn’t keep up.
Factory layouts in Central Vietnam should align parallel with the main wind axis (North–South) and use surrounding walls, wind barriers, and green belts as buffers to reduce wind pressure on the main buildings.
Ignoring aerodynamic logic can turn a factory into a giant wind block, directly bearing the brunt of storms and increasing the risk of structural damage.
The use of epoxy coatings, waterproofing materials, and fire-resistant insulated panels is a must in Central Vietnam. These not only improve factory resilience but also cut down on maintenance and repair costs. International-standard storm-proof doors should be installed in vulnerable zones to ensure maximum safety.
Creating a checklist and maintenance plan before storm season is mandatory for factories in this region. Regular inspections of roofs, bolts, doors, and electrical systems help identify potential risks early for timely remediation, preventing major incidents.
Factory design in Central Vietnam must not be approached from a short-term cost-saving perspective. It must be seen as a long-term investment strategy, ensuring safety, sustainability, and continuity in production, while maintaining a business's reputation and operational efficiency. BIC hopes this article has been helpful. If you need industrial factory design construction consultation, don’t hesitate to contact us.
