HCMC - Vietnam’s meteorological authorities have warned that a new tropical storm, potentially the 16th to form in the East Sea this year, is expected to enter Vietnamese waters later this week and could directly affect the central and south-central regions.

At a regular press briefing on December 4, the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment said a tropical depression is now active east of the central Philippines, moving slowly northwest.

According to Hoang Duc Cuong, deputy director of the National Hydro-Meteorological Administration (NHMA), the system is forecast to cross the Philippines around December 6–7 before entering the East Sea and strengthening into Storm No. 16.

Once in the East Sea, the storm may track westward and impact coastal provinces from the central to south-central regions, triggering a new spell of widespread moderate to heavy rain.

In December, the region could see one to two heavy rainfall events, with precipitation from southern Quang Tri to northern coastal south-central provinces expected to exceed long-term averages. The NHMA cautioned of heightened risks of flash floods and landslides.

As of the end of November 2025, 21 storms and tropical depressions (15 storms, six depressions) had formed in the East Sea, the highest number since records began in 1961. Natural disasters this year have been exceptionally severe and abnormal, with estimated economic losses exceeding VND85 trillion and 409 deaths or missing persons nationwide.