The entry of the 5th tropical storm inthe East Sea this year prompted an urgent message on December 8 nightfrom Hoang Van Thang, vice chairman of the Central Committee for Floodand Storm Control.
He asked all localities totake all needed precautionary steps including informing offshore vesselsof the storm's progress, asking them to find safe anchorage spots andmobilising task forces for emergencies.
As of 6amof December 9, more than 32,000 vessels have been informed about thestorm, said deputy chief of the committee's Office Vu Xuan Thanh.
He also said that Quang Tri, Quang Nam, Quang Ngai, Binh Dinh, NinhThuan, Ho Chi Minh City, Ben Tre, Ca Mau and Soc Trang have sent theirpreparedness plans to the office.
The NationalCentre for Hydro-Meteorological Forecasting said the storm is forecastto weaken a lot before it makes landfall in the south central provincesof Ninh Thuan and Binh Thuan on December 11 night.
It predicted heavy rains for the south central and southern regions.
Asof 4am of December 10, the eye of the storm was located about 390kmeast of Truong Sa (Spratly) Archipelago's Song Tu Tay island, with62-74km per hour winds.
The storm is moving west at 20km per hour.
In another movement, a cold spell is expected to blanket the northernregion on December 10 night before bringing torrential rains to thecentral provinces.-VNA