According to the National Civil Defence Steering Committee, authorities had alerted and guided 56,240 fishing vessels carrying more than 249,000 people on the storm's path by Friday morning.
A fishing boat from Quang Ninh sank at 1.28 am while returning from fishing grounds to Co To Island after encountering strong winds and rough seas associated with the storm. Six of the seven crew members were rescued, while one remained missing.
Besides Quang Ninh and Ninh Binh, 12 other coastal provinces and cities, including Haiphong, Hung Yen, Thanh Hoa, Nghe An, Ha Tinh, Quang Tri, Hue, Danang, Quang Ngai, Gia Lai, Dak Lak and Khanh Hoa, have activated storm response plans.
The steering committee also ordered 11 northeastern provinces and Thanh Hoa to check fishing vessels, suspend sea activities where necessary, ensure the safety of fishing, tourism and coastal infrastructure, and prepare rescue teams.
On land, authorities were instructed to identify flood- and landslide-prone areas, evacuate residents where necessary, reinforce infrastructure and protect power and telecoms networks.
At 10 am on Friday, the National Centre for Hydro-Meteorological Forecasting said the storm's centre was over waters about 90 km south of China's Hainan Island, with sustained winds of up to 88 kph (55 mph) and gusts of up to Category 11.
Forecasters said the storm had slowed to about 5 kph after turning west-northwest, and was now expected to pass south of Hainan Island before entering the northern Gulf of Tonkin and heading towards China's Guangxi region
