In Thua Thien Hue Province, home to many royal tombs and the former Imperial City in Hue, the tropical depression has brought heavy rains, prompting some residents, concerned about flooding, to move dragon boats, typically used for tourist transport, to Phu Xuan Park, where they secure them to big trees, a traditional shelter for boats on the Huong (Perfume) River during storms and floods.
In Quang Phuoc Commune, Quang Dien District, the Mai Duong embankment along the Sia River has eroded, prompting the deployment of soldiers and militia personnel to reinforce it with metal baskets and rocks for safety.
Nghenh Luong Pavilion, located by the Perfume River and featured on the VND50,000 ($2.16) bill since 2003, has been reinforced with steel cables, while other historical sites within the Hue Imperial Citadel, including Phu Van Lau and Ngo Mon Gate, are also being fortified.
In Da Nang, fishermen in the coastal areas at the foot of Son Tra Peninsula have rented cranes to lift their boats ashore, paying VND300,000 (US$12) per boat.
Along Hoang Sa Road, many fishermen have moved their coracles to the sidewalks for shelter. Starting Thursday night, vehicles will be banned from Hoang Sa Road near the entrance to Son Tra Peninsula.
Earlier on Wednesday afternoon, residents of Me Suot Street in Da Nang’s Lien Chieu District, an area prone to flooding, began moving their belongings to higher ground. Some households constructed two-meter-high scaffolding or welded additional supports to safeguard their assets, hoping to prevent damage similar to the historic flood of 2022.
In October 2022, following storm Son Ca, Da Nang received 795 mm of rain overnight, submerging the entire Me Suot Street under 2 meters of water. The floods claimed four lives and left over 200,000 households without power.
Residents are also placing sandbags and weighted fabric sacks on their roofs for added stability, with some using large foam containers and plastic bags filled with water to secure their rooftops.
Many homes and hotels in Da Nang have reinforced their glass windows by taping them in multiple layers to prevent damage from strong winds.
On Bach Dang Street, workers are relocating ornamental plants and pots to safer areas, while city authorities had mandated that tree pruning, drainage clearing, and sewer maintenance be completed by Wednesday.
In Quang Nam Province, home to Hoi An ancient town, environmental workers pruned tree branches on Wednesday afternoon in preparation for the approaching storm, after heavy rains had already flooded many streets.
Tam Ky Public Utility Services Company deployed cranes to relocate soft barriers, preventing them from being washed away as water levels rise and disrupt traffic. All schools in Quang Nam are closed on Thursday.
Tam Ky City has over 17,000 trees lining 270 roads and 17 residential areas, with nearly 5,000 trees requiring pruning.
Over the past two days, workers have pruned more than 2,000 trees, focusing on larger ones with wide canopies. Seven cranes and numerous workers have been mobilized for the task, according to Tran Trung Hau, the city's deputy chairman.
In Quang Tri Province, border guards have coordinated with local authorities to set up barricades and checkpoints to ensure safety in the area.
Heavy rains have poured in many communes in the province's Dakrong District since Wednesday morning.
Quang Tri and its northern neighbor Quang Binh, home to the world's largest cave Son Doong, are forecast to be hit on Thursday afternoon by a storm which strengthened from a tropical depression in the East Sea early in the morning.
The storm is set to enter the waters of Quang Binh and Quang Tri between 2-5 p.m., with winds reaching 74 km per hour, before moving into Laos and weakening into a tropical depression by Friday morning.
This storm, yet to be named, is the fourth to develop in the East Sea this year and comes as Vietnam is still recovering from the devastation of typhoon Yagi, which struck northern Vietnam on Sept. 7, claiming at least 298 lives, leaving 35 missing, and causing damage worth around VND50 trillion (US$2 billion).
Between Thursday and Friday, central Vietnam is expected to receive widespread rainfall of 100-300 mm, with some areas exceeding 500 mm. Intense rainfall of over 150 mm within six hours is predicted for regions from Quang Tri to Da Nang on Thursday.
