Storm Goni forecast to weaken en route to south central Vietnam coast

At 7 a.m. on Thursday it lay around 280 km east off the coast, with winds of up to 75 kph, according to the National Center for Hydro-Meteorological Forecasting.

It will continue moving southwest at a speed of 10 kph for the next 24 hours and make landfall between Quang Ngai and Khanh Hoa provinces on Friday, home to many beloved beaches, with winds of 60 kph before weakening further.

Quang Nam, Quang Ngai and Binh Dinh are being battered by torrential rains, as to a lesser extent are Thua Thien-Hue, Da Nang and Phu Yen in the central region and Kon Tum and Gia Lai in the Central Highlands.

Vietnamese airlines have canceled dozens of flights to and from Binh Dinh and Quang Nam Thursday.

Vietnam Airlines canceled six flights from HCMC and Hanoi to Quy Nhon Airport in Binh Dinh and Chu Lai Airport in Quang Nam.

Low-cost airline Vietjet Air also canceled four flights from HCMC and Hanoi to Chu Lai and two from HCMC to Quy Nhon.

Goni killed at least 20 people in the Philippines and caused volcanic mudflows that buried a number of houses as it packed sustained winds of up to 225 kph.

It is the 10th storm to hit Vietnam this year. There were four storms and one tropical depression in the central region in October alone, the joint highest for the month in the country’s recorded meteorological history along with 1993.

Historic flooding and landslides they caused left at least 166 dead.