Typhoon No. 5 intensifies to level 13; seven provinces have banned sea travel.

According to the National Center for Hydro-Meteorological Forecasting, this morning, August 24th, Typhoon No. 5 continued to strengthen by one level, increasing its intensity to level 13, with gusts reaching level 16.

Typhoon No. 5 has intensified to level 13 and is forecast to strengthen further.

PHOTO: PH (SCREENSHOT)

At 9 AM today, the storm's center was located at approximately 17.4 degrees North latitude and 111.1 degrees East longitude, about 605 km east of Nghe An and about 580 km east of Ha Tinh . The storm is moving westward at a speed of about 15 km/hour.

The Department of Dike Management and Disaster Prevention ( Ministry of Agriculture and Environment ) announced that as of this morning, August 23rd, 12 coastal provinces and cities from Quang Ninh to Gia Lai have issued directives to respond to Typhoon No. 5 in accordance with the Prime Minister's directives. Of these, 7 coastal provinces and cities from Ninh Binh to Hue and Quang Ngai have implemented a ban on sea activities.

Currently, local authorities are directing the fisheries sector and local governments to coordinate with the Border Guard to disseminate information, conduct surveys, and urge vessels operating at sea to be aware of the storm's developments so they can proactively move to avoid it.

Typhoon No. 5 is currently at level 12, and is forecast to intensify further.

According to a report from the Civil Defense Command of the Ministry of Construction , there are currently 359 seagoing vessels and inland waterway vessels operating in the area from Thanh Hoa to Da Nang. Of these, Thanh Hoa has 135 vessels; Nghe An 42 vessels; Ha Tinh 65 vessels; Quang Tri and Hue 59 vessels; and Da Nang 58 vessels.

In addition, the total aquaculture area in coastal provinces and cities from Thanh Hoa to Quang Tri is 58,611 hectares, with approximately 5,745 cages of various types and 384 aquaculture watchtowers.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has sent diplomatic notes to the Chinese and Philippine embassies in Vietnam requesting assistance for Vietnamese fishermen and vessels seeking shelter from the storm.

In response to the dangerous developments of Typhoon No. 5 (Typhoon Kajiki), on August 23, the Department of Dyke Management and Disaster Prevention and Control, in coordination with Zalo Vietnam, sent 18 million messages providing guidance on how to respond to Typhoon No. 5 and warning about heavy rain and floods to people in coastal areas from Quang Ninh to Gia Lai.