HANOI: Vietnam will evacuate more than 250,000 residents from coastal areas ahead of Typhoon Bualoi’s expected landfall on Sunday evening.
The storm represents the tenth weather system to affect Vietnam this year and is currently generating winds of 130 kilometres per hour at sea.
Central Vietnam’s largest city Danang plans to evacuate more than 210,000 residents according to state media reports.
More than 32,000 residents of Hue living near coastal areas will also be moved to safer locations.
Authorities have slated over 15,000 residents in the key steel production hub of Ha Tinh for evacuation to schools and medical centres converted into temporary shelters.
Vietnam has mobilised nearly 117,000 military personnel to assist with the evacuation and disaster response efforts.
Four domestic airports were shut and all fishing boats in the typhoon’s path have been called back to harbour as precautionary measures.
Ha Tinh City resident Nguyen Cuong expressed cautious optimism despite the approaching storm.
“I feel a bit anxious but still hopeful that everything will be fine in the aftermath,“ the 29-year-old told AFP.
“We were all safe after the recent typhoon Kajiki. I hope this one will be the same or less severe.”
Vietnam’s National Center for Hydro-Meteorological Forecasting expects the typhoon to pack winds of around 133 kph at landfall on Sunday evening.
State media quoted centre director Mai Van Khiem warning about the storm’s dangerous characteristics.
“This is a fast-moving storm with very strong intensity and a wide area of impact, capable of causing a combination of various types of natural disasters such as strong winds, heavy rain, floods, landslides, and coastal inundation,“ Khiem said.
Scientists warn that storms are becoming more powerful due to human-driven climate change warming the world.
Vietnam’s agriculture ministry reported more than 100 people were killed or missing from natural disasters in the first seven months of 2025.
The country suffered USD 3.3 billion in economic losses last September when Typhoon Yagi swept across northern Vietnam causing hundreds of fatalities. – AFP