According to the Mid-Central Region Centre for Hydro-meteorological Forecasting, a tropical depression in the East Sea has already developed into a storm, internationally called Nakri.

The predicted track of Nakri (Image: The Mid-Central Region Centre for Hydro-meteorological Forecasting)

The forecasters said that the storm is moving with a slow speed and a complicated track. Based on its latest forecast track, Nakri is expected to head the south-central region of Viet Nam.

At 4.00am today, 8 November, the storm was positioned at latitude 13°0'N and longitude 116°8'E, about 330km northeast of the Song Tu Tay Island of the Truong Sa Archipelago, with winds near its centre at 100-115km per hour and higher gusts.

Over the next 24 hours, the storm is predicted to change its path towards the west and continue to strengthen its power.

At 4.00am tomorrow, 9 November, the location of the storm centre should be at latitude 12°8'N and longitude 114°8'E, about 170km northeast of the Song Tu Tay Island of the Truong Sa Archipelago. The strongest wind speed of level 15 near its centre was between 115 kph and 135 kph.

Starting from this afternoon, the powerful Nakri will continue to move to the west with a velocity of 10 to 15km an hour, the forecasters said.

It is forecast that, on 10 November, the storm will make landfall on the mainland from Quang Ngai to Khanh Hoa provinces.

The storm is predicted to bring heavy rainfall, gusty winds, and rough surf over parts of the south-central region of Viet Nam, including Da Nang, this weekend, the Mid-Central Region Centre for Hydro-meteorological Forecasting has warned.

Currently, 160 fishing vessels, with a total of 3,277 crew members, are operating at sea. Amongst, there are 11 fishing boats from Quang Nam Province, 125 from Quang Ngai Province, and 25 from Binh Dinh Province.

Until now, fishermen have been notified about the location, direction and developments of the tropical storm. However, local functional bodies have yet to make contact with 101 crewmembers onboard 9 fishing vessels from Quang Ngai Province who are conducting fishing activities on the western side of the Truong Sa Archipelago.

In addition, 3 fishing boats from Quang Nam Province and 12 others from Binh Dinh Province are operating in dangerous waters. Therefore, the Vietnamese Ministry of Foreign Affairs has sent a diplomatic note to ask for help from the Philippines Embassy in Viet Nam and the Vietnamese Embassy in the Philippines to create favourable conditions for these Vietnamese ships to avoid dangerous areas or seek safe shelter from the storm.

To prepare for the arrival of the storm, the Da Nang authorities have asked relevant agencies to take various proactive measures to prepare for the upcoming storm.

In particular, employees from the municipal Da Nang Urban Environment JSC have become actively involved in cleaning up coastal areas, along the both banks of the Han River, and main roads, as well as quickly treating daily-collected domestic waste, in a bid to ensure environmental sanitation at trash collection points and prevent bad smells from these areas.