He said the ministries of Industry and Commerce, Transport, Information and Communications, Culture, Sports and Tourism, Defence and Public Security are responsible for helping local people evacuate from landslide-prone areas.

Deputy Prime Minister Hoang Trung Hai warned that the storm’s danger should not be underestimated even though the rain from Parma has not been heavy so far.

Cao Duc Phat, Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, stressed that Storm Parma was unpredictable, so all localities must adhere to guidelines to brace themselves for the storm.

Ninh Binh, Nam Dinh and Quang Ninh provinces and Haiphong City have already moved people  to safe grounds far from the dyke system.

The National Centre for Hydrometeorology forecast that Storm Parma was 170km off the coastline from Quang Ninh to Ha Tinh on Tuesday afternoon, with gusts of wind up to 183km/h.

The storm is expected to downgrade into a tropical low pressure and sit over northern Laos on Thursday afternoon. Wind speeds could fall to less than 39km/h.

The National Committee for Flood and Storm Prevention and Control has asked the local authorities in the provinces from Quang Ninh to Nghe An not to let any boats put to sea and keep all ships at sea fully informed about the storm’s development.

The High Command of the Border Guard has assigned nearly 3,000 soldiers to assist people in coping with the storm.

In the central province of Ha Tinh, two boats carrying 13 fishermen on October 13 sank on its way to shelter, causing losses of VND400 million (US$220,000), but there were no fatalities.