Tropical storm KaiTak will make landfall in the border areas of Mong Cai city in northern Quang Ninh province in the night of August 17, but the storm will be less powerful than the previous day, local weather forecasters said.
The Central Steering Committee on Flood and Storm Control held an urgent meeting in Hanoi on August 16 afternoon to prepare for the storm.
The committee's chairman and Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Cao Duc Phat called on ministries, sectors and localities to monitor the storm's progress closely in order to inform people of the necessary precautions in a timely fashion.
The National Hydro-meteorological Forecasting Centre director Bui Minh Tang said the storm's centre was located 450 km north-east of Hoang Sa (Paracel) archipelago afternoon of August 16.
The storm was moving at 103 to 133 km per hour, one level stronger than in the morning. In 24 hours' time, the storm will move toward the west-north-west and become stronger before making landfall to the east of Leizhou island, China , around noon.
It is then forecast to pass the coastal areas of China 's Guangzhou province before entering the border areas of Mong Cai in a weakened form, expected to be like a tropical low pressure.
Starting this morning, the storm will bring heavy rain to Quang Ninh province and Hai Phong city - the only two localities directly affected. The rain will then spread to northeast and northwest regions, and stop on August 19 when the storm is out of the country.
Phat ordered coastal provinces in the affected areas to continue alerting vessels to stay anchored in a safe haven or make their way out of the dangerous zones.
Hai Phong city and Quang Ninh province - home to the tourism site of Ha Long Bay - were urged to take prompt measures to safeguard fishing vessels, tourist boats and aqua-culture farming areas on the sea.
Northern mountainous provinces should prepare to relocate residents from areas prone to flash floods and landslides.-VNA