Da Nang tourists surf, swim despite incoming typhoon

People still visited the My Khe, Pham Van Dong and Man Thai beaches in Son Tra and Ngu Hanh Son districts out of habit.

There were only light rains while the winds were not quite so strong in Da Nang Tuesday morning, though the city is expected to be among the first locations where Storm Noru would make landfall early on Wednesday, along with localities like Quang Nam, Quang Ngai and Binh Dinh.

Da Nang has forbidden people to go swimming at sea since Monday in preparation for Storm Noru. 5-star resorts along Son Tra Peninsula have stopped receiving guests, and brought their own guests to safer locations.

Some tourists take photos along the sand.

... while others enter the sea despite rough waves.

At 7 a.m., Storm Noru was above the southern region of the Paracel Islands, about 360 kilometers from the shores of Da Nang-Quang Ngai. Its maximum wind speed was recorded at 183 kph.

A foreigner enjoys a surf.

Several people can still be seen swimming and surfing.

Nguyen Duc Vu, head of the management committee of the Son Tra Peninsula and Da Nang tourism beaches, said there were people who swam in the sea Tuesday morning, but most stayed close to shore.

The storm has strengthened since Monday by feeding off water vapor from warm sea regions, according to the National Center for Hydro-Meteorological Forecasting. The storm would continue to move west at 25 kph, and it can still get stronger over time.

A group of fishermen takes advantage of the rough seas to untangle their net.

At a Tuesday meeting, Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Le Minh Hoan has requested localities to persuade people to evacuate away from danger zones.

By Tuesday noon, life guards have cleaned up items along the beach and brought them to shelter.

Students in Da Nang have been allowed to stay home since Monday. Authorities also allowed workers to go home starting noon Tuesday. The city has banned people from going out in the street starting 8 p.m., unless they have official responsibilities.

By noon, the beaches were almost empty. Authorities have dispatched personnel to patrol the beach 24/24 to prevent anyone from venturing out to sea.