Vietnam’s Hai Phong mobilizes 70,000 personnel, relocates 18,000 tourists in response to storm Wipha

The city has recently deployed some 35,400 officers and servicemen from the armed forces, including over 25,000 army personnel and 9,400 police officers.

Disaster response teams operating at all levels have mobilized over 29,360 individuals, with more than 5,000 others standing ready.

To ensure tourist safety, Hai Phong authorities issued storm warnings to 16,000 visitors on Cat Ba Island—2,500 of whom are international tourists—alongside 279 guests in the Cat Hai special zone and 1,335 in the Do Son beach area.

The city’s Border Guard Command informed all vessels at sea of the approaching storm so they could take safety measures.

The Hai Phong Maritime Authority reported 70 vessels being anchored in port waters, including 19 foreign oceangoing ships, 29 Vietnamese seagoing vessels, and 22 inland watercraft carrying a total of 780 crew members.

The city also trimmed or removed dead or rotting trees and installed support systems for other trees to reduce hazards during the storm.

Special attention was paid to relocating residents from dilapidated apartment buildings.

Hai Phong has identified 75 critical dike, embankment, and sluice structures that require close monitoring.

A workforce has been mobilized to guard these works around the clock.

In the aquaculture and farming sectors, the city provided instructions to locals on how to respond to the storm and mitigate potential losses.

Authorities have placed clear warning signs at high-risk locations to alert people and steer them away from danger.

At 1:00 pm on Monday, Wipha was located about 260 kilometers east of Hai Phong and approximately 120 kilometers east of Quang Ninh, according to the National Center for Hydro-Meteorological Forecasting.

The strongest winds reached 102 kph, with gusts up to 133 kph.

The storm is currently moving west-southwest at an average speed of 15 kph, toward northern Vietnam.