Five central Vietnam airports closed as storm Noru approaches

The Chu Lai Airport in Quang Nam Province will be closed from 7 a.m. Tuesday to 7 a.m. the following day.

The airports of Da Nang, Phu Bai, Phu Cat and Pleiku, located respectively in Da Nang, Thua Thien Hue, Binh Dinh and Gia Lai will be closed from Tuesday to Wednesday noon.

A Vietnam Airlines spokesperson said all its flights departing from the five airports will be suspended.

Flights to and from Vinh, Dong Hoi, Buon Ma Thuot, Da Lat and Tuy Hoa towns in nearby areas may need to be rescheduled, the spokesperson said, adding that changes in the operation schedule will also impact some flights from other airports.

A spokeswoman for Vietjet Air also said that flights to and from the five airports will be temporarily halted at the instruction of aviation authorities.

All Vietnamese carriers have encouraged travelers to look out for storm-related information so as to plan their journey.

Forecast course of storm Noru towards central Vietnam. Graphics by Vietnam Disaster Management Authority

Storm Noru, one of the strongest storms in the last two decades to hit Vietnam, is approaching the Paracel Islands with a wind speed at 149 kph, according to the National Center for Hydro-Meteorological Forecasting.

The storm is expected to continue moving westward on Monday at 20-25 kph, and could get stronger because of warm sea regions. By 10 a.m. Tuesday, the storm would be in the southeast region of the Paracel Islands, with a maximum wind speed of 149 kph.

By 7 p.m. Tuesday, it would be 260 km from Da Nang, with a maximum wind speed of 166 kph. It is forecast to make landfall in central Vietnam before weakening into a tropical depression by 7 p.m. Wednesday.