Deputy Prime Minister Tran Luu Quang chairs an urgent meeting on July 17 to cope with typhoon TALIM which is due to make land fall on July 18.

The Red River Delta province of Thai Binh is expected to temporarily relocate 19,000 residents from danger areas, including flood-prone areas, fishing cages, and aquaculture watchtowers.

Furthermore, the port city of Hai Phong and the border province of Quang Ninh that are forecast to bear the brunt of the typhoon, are poised to move 8,700 and 700 residents respectively to high ground.

Other localities such as Nam Dinh and Ninh Binh are also anticipated to evacuate thousands of local residents before the typhoon makes landfall.

The Border Guard Command reported on July 17 that it has informed and directed 52,188 vessels with more than 226,000 people on board to either seek storm shelters or to move ashore.

There are currently no vessels operating in the danger zone, according to the Border Guard Command.

Coastal localities such as Hai Phong, Quang Ninh, and Thai Binh have duly released a ban on vessels from setting sail, starting at midday on July 17.

Typhoon TALIM has formed from a tropical depression and has strengthened grades for the past 36 hours. At present it is now swirling across the northern part of the East Sea.

The typhoon with maximum sustained winds of up to 120kph is forecast to strike the northern coast of Quang Ninh and Hai Phong at 16:00 p.m. on July 18.

Over the next 12 to 24 hours, TALIM will move further inland, weaken into a tropical depression and dissipate in the northern mountainous region.

Northern localities are expected to endure a long spell of rain from July 17 to July 20, with widespread rainfall totaling 200mm to 400mm, or even 500mm in some parts.

According to the National Centre for Hydro Meteorological Forecasting, heavy rainfall will persist into the end of the week.

Speaking at an urgent meeting in Hanoi on July 17, Deputy Prime Minister Tran Luu Quang appreciated localities adopting prompt response measures but warned there is no room for complacency as it is a powerful storm to hit northern localities for the past few years.

He asked localities from Quang Ninh to Nghe An to stick to the Prime Minister’s July 16 telegram on response measures, and said “Our ultimate goal is to ensure no loss of life and minimize damage to property.”