Vietnam seeks assistance from China, Philippines for vessels amid super typhoon Yagi

Spokeswoman Pham Thu Hang of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated at a regular press briefing that Vietnamese diplomatic representatives have contacted authorities in China and the Philippines to seek refuge for Vietnamese vessels, request rescue assistance and facilitate vessel repairs as needed.

The ministry has also issued diplomatic notes to the Chinese and Philippine embassies in Hanoi, urging collaboration with local authorities to support Vietnamese vessels during the typhoon. It also requested that personnel be stationed around the clock to ensure a timely response to the storm's developments.

Yagi intensified into a super typhoon on Thursday, with maximum sustained winds of 201 kph, posing a threat to areas from Ninh Binh to Quang Ninh in northern Vietnam.

As of 10 a.m. on Thursday, Yagi was located in the northern part of the South China Sea, about 490 km northeast of China’s Hainan Island, according to the National Center for Hydro-Meteorological Forecasting. The storm is expected to move west-northwest at a speed of 10-15 kph.

By 10 a.m. on Friday, Yagi is forecast to be 120 km east of Hainan Island and approximately 550 km from Vietnam's Quang Ninh province. By Saturday morning, the storm is anticipated to be over the northern Gulf of Tonkin, roughly 120 km from Quang Ninh, before making landfall between Quang Ninh and Ninh Binh. It is then projected to weaken into a tropical depression.

Yagi, which entered the South China Sea, known as the East Sea in Vietnam, on Tuesday, has rapidly strengthened, becoming one of the most powerful typhoons in the region over the past decade.