Quang Ninh boats kept onshore

The provincial government said all boats were banned from sailing and people on floating fishing houses were evacuated to safe ground as of on June 23 afternoon as Typhoon Kujira was approaching the shore.

The northern province has 321 offshore boats, with small boats having anchored at fishing ports and local shelters, 20 en route to the shore and the remaining six unable to reach for communications on June 23.

The provincial government told relevant agencies to prepare possible measures to protect piers, wharves and tourist sites. Local residents were urged to reinforce houses and follow updates about the typhoon.

The storm forced many travel firms to change tour programs. They had to cancel plans for their guests to visit the World Heritage-listed bay and stay overnight on tourist boats and replace it with sightseeing tours inland and visits to neighboring localities.

Doan Thi Thanh Tra, marketing and communications manager at Saigontourist Travel Service Company, said the company had arranged tours for five groups of local tourists to visit Halong Bay on June 23 but had to let them visit Thien Vien Truc Lam, a pagoda on Yen Tu Mountain due to the typhoon.

Meanwhile, guests of Asian Trails Co. Ltd. were sent to Ninh Binh on June 23 and went back to Hanoi to spend the night.

“We are waiting for updates from weather forecasters to rearrange tours for our guests,” Bui Viet Thuy Tien, managing director of the company, told the Daily on June 23.

The typhoon was earlier forecast to make landfall in China but was then moving down to the west. It was forecast to head for Vietnam’s Quang Ninh Province.

Hoang Duc Cuong, director of the National Center for Hydro-Meteorological Forecasting, told a meeting on storm prevention and control on June 23 that the typhoon might strengthen to force 9 before entering Quang Ninh.

The typhoon has triggered heavy rains in the northeastern region with average rainfalls of 200-300mm.

Rains will come down mainly in Quang Ninh, Lang Son and Bac Giang provinces. Relevant agencies have to check areas prone to landslides, said Cao Duc Phat, head of the National Steering Committee for Flood and Storm Prevention and Control.

Phat said Haiphong City should inform foreign ships of the latest typhoon developments and ensure safety for tourists.

Under the impact of the typhoon, the northern region will encounter heavy rains until tomorrow. Due to torrential rains, flash floods and landslides are forecast to happen in Quang Ninh, Lang Son, Bac Giang, Cao Bang, Bac Kan, Thai Nguyen, Phu Tho, Tuyen Giang and Ha Giang provinces, according to the national weather forecast center.

The eye of the storm was around 150 kilometers southeast of the Quang Ninh-Haiphong coast at 5 p.m. on June 23 with strong winds at forces 8-9. The typhoon is moving at 10-15 kilometers per hour towards the mainland and is forecast to gradually weaken en route to the shore.

According to the National Steering Committee for Flood and Storm Prevention and Control, natural disasters killed 125 people, injured 145 people and left eight people missing last year.

Total property damages caused by natural disasters last year were put at nearly VND2.83 trillion.

According to Cuong, four to five storms are forecast to directly hit Vietnam this year while there were five to six storms on average in previous years. Besides, this year would see more floods, flash floods and landslides in mountainous areas in the central and Central Highlands regions in comparison to last year.

Quang Ninh boats kept onshore

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