Faced with increasingly complex and unpredictable developments of storm No. 3 Wipha, coastal provinces and cities from the North to the Central have been urgently implementing a series of drastic response measures. In order to protect the lives and property of people and tourists, many key localities have simultaneously issued sea bans and temporarily suspended tourism activities at sea and along the coast.
Nghe An, one of the coastal provinces directly affected, has taken the lead in storm prevention work. According to an urgent dispatch from the Provincial People's Committee, from 5 a.m. on July 21, all types of boats and means of transport are prohibited from going to sea. At the same time, vehicles operating at sea are required to quickly move ashore and complete safe anchoring before 10 a.m. the same day, ensuring that no vehicles are operating at sea when the storm makes landfall.
Nghe An bans boats from going to sea from 5am today
In Hai Phong, a major port city in the North, comprehensive storm prevention measures have also been deployed. From 5 p.m. on July 20, all activities on rivers and seas have been completely suspended, including the Cat Hai - Phu Long cable car route, one of the modern and popular cable car routes.
Hai Phong also issued a notice requesting the suspension of all activities on rivers and seas.
The Hai Phong Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism has also issued a notice requesting tourist areas, attractions, accommodation establishments and travel agencies to closely monitor the storm's developments. In particular, these agencies must proactively inform tourists in a timely manner so that they can adjust their schedules accordingly, avoiding unnecessary risks. Outdoor sightseeing and entertainment activities are also advised to be temporarily suspended when the weather turns bad. Local authorities also strictly prohibit the arrangement of guests to stay in dangerous areas such as coastal areas, islands, bays or places with high risk of landslides and flooding.
Quang Ninh, with its world-famous Ha Long Bay and many bustling tourist islands, is not out of the affected area. The province has required all passenger and tourist ships to urgently return to port before 6 p.m. on July 20 and has temporarily stopped issuing permits to leave port.
Quang Ninh has prepared many plans in case bad situations occur.
On outpost islands such as Co To and Ngoc Vung, the border guards have proactively fired storm warning flares, a traditional but effective measure to urgently notify fishermen and islanders, and this activity will continue in the coming days. The Quang Ninh Department of Tourism is tasked with continuously updating the number of visitors staying, especially in sea and island areas, and closely coordinating with travel agencies to provide timely information, ensuring maximum safety for tourists staying in the storm area.
Other provinces are also rushing to implement similar measures. Thanh Hoa has implemented a sea ban from 8am on July 21, and this ban will last until the storm no longer affects the area.
In Thanh Hoa, early on, authorities helped people get to the mainland and announced a sea ban to ensure safety.
In Ninh Binh, the Provincial People's Committee has directed the temporary suspension of ferry operations from 5 p.m. on July 21. Coastal localities of Ninh Binh are also required to coordinate with the Border Guard to strictly prohibit boats from going to sea from 7 a.m. on the same day and notify offshore vessels to quickly enter safe shelters before 12 noon. Hung Yen Province has also directed a sea ban from 6 p.m. on July 20, strictly prohibiting boats from going to sea, stopping exploitation, aquaculture, fishing and other activities in estuary, coastal and offshore areas after the sea ban.
In Ninh Binh, the Provincial People's Committee directed to temporarily suspend the operation of ferry routes from 5:00 p.m. on July 21.
According to the latest update from the National Center for Hydro-Meteorological Forecasting at 11:00 a.m. on July 21, the center of storm No. 3 Wipha is at about 21.2 degrees North latitude; 109.6 degrees East longitude, about 190 km from Quang Ninh and about 310 km from Hai Phong. The strongest wind near the center of the storm is level 9 (equivalent to 75-88 km/h), gusting to level 11. In the next 3 hours, the storm is expected to move in a West-Southwest direction at a speed of 10-15 km/h.
It is forecasted that from the evening and night of July 21, coastal areas from Quang Ninh to Nghe An will have strong winds of level 7-9. In particular, near the eye of the storm, winds may strengthen to level 10-11, gusting to level 14. Deeper inland, winds will also be strong at level 6, gusting to level 7-8. Experts warn that winds of level 10-11 are capable of causing great damage, knocking down trees, electric poles and blowing off roofs. Tomorrow (July 22), the storm is forecast to make landfall in Vietnam, with the landfall shifting south, focusing on the Hung Yen and Thanh Hoa areas.
