HCMC – Storm No. 4 made landfall in central Vietnam this afternoon and then weakened into a tropical depression, the National Hydro-Meteorological Forecast Center announced at 4 p.m. today, September 19.
As of 2 p.m., the center of the depression was spotted over the north-central provinces of Quang Binh and Quang Tri. Maximum winds were 50-61 kilometers per hour with gusts up to 89-102 kilometers per hour.
The depression is forecast to continue moving west-southwest at a speed of 15-20 kilometers per hour over the next three hours. By 10 p.m., the depression is expected to dissipate over central Laos.
Before weakening, the fourth storm intensified to level 9 as it was moving closer to the northeast of Vietnam’s Hoang Sa (Paracel) Islands. The storm then made landfall in the north-central provinces of Quang Binh and Thua Thien-Hue, triggering strong winds and rough waves along the coast of the wider region from Nghe An to Danang.
In response, the Civil Aviation Authority of Vietnam (CAAV) ordered the closure of Dong Hoi Airport in Quang Binh Province from 3 p.m. to 10 p.m. on September 19.
Other airports in central Vietnam, including Chu Lai, Danang, Phu Bai, and Vinh, have been instructed to conduct inspections of infrastructure and communication systems to ensure safe operations.
Vietnam has not yet recovered from typhoon Yagi, the third storm that has hit the country this year and the strongest storm that has appeared in the East Sea in 30 years, since it wreaked havoc on the country’s 26 northern provinces.
Yagi has caused total economic damage of around VND50 trillion (over US$2 billion), data from the affected provinces showed. The figure is forecast to rise to US$2.5 billion, Nguyen Hoang Hiep, deputy minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, said at a conference held to receive aid from international partners.
Vietnam is projected to lose 0.15 percentage point in gross domestic product (GDP) growth this year if the 6.8-7% growth scenario translates into reality.
