Mass flight cancellations across central Vietnam as Storm Fengshen approaches

The national flag carrier said heavy rain and strong winds forced it to adjust operations at key airports in Hue and Da Nang. Flights VN1545 and VN1544 between Hanoi and Hue will depart two hours earlier than scheduled, while four flights between Hanoi and Da Nang and three between Ho Chi Minh City and Da Nang will also take off 1.5 to 2 hours sooner.

Flights VN1378 and VN1379 between Ho Chi Minh City and Hue originally set for Oct. 22 have been postponed to the morning of Oct. 23. Multiple routes, including VN1549 and VN1548 (Hanoi–Hue), VN7197 (Hanoi–Da Nang), VN7122, VN142, and VN143 (HCMC–Da Nang), and VN1940 and VN1941 (Da Nang–Cam Ranh), have been canceled outright.

Two more flights, VN156 (Da Nang–Hanoi) and VN101 (Da Nang–HCMC), will be canceled on Oct. 23, and several other domestic and international services are also expected to face cascading delays and adjustments. Other carriers are monitoring Fengshen’s path to decide on further schedule changes.

Airlines have advised passengers to remain seated with seatbelts fastened throughout their flights as turbulence risk rises during severe weather.

Formed on Oct. 18 from a tropical depression east of the Philippines, Storm Fengshen entered the East Sea, known internationally as the South China Sea, on Oct. 19 as the 12th storm of the year in the area. Its wind speed intensified to up to 102 kph, before slowing down under the influence of a strong northern cold front.

Under the impact of cold air mass, Storm Fengshen weakened into a tropical depression at 10 p.m. on Oct. 22 around 130 km off Da Nang, with wind speed weakening to 61 kph.