At 16.00pm on July 22, Chanthu was positioned at 21.6 degrees north latitude and 110.1 degrees east longitude, about 240km south-east of Quang Ninh’s Mong Cai town. It was packing winds of between 103-117kph near its center.

In the next 24 hours, the storm is expected to move between north and north-west at a speed of 15kph and directly affect the northern part of the Bac Bo (Tonkin) Gulf.

On July 23, Chanthu is forecast to travel along the Vietnam-China border with sustained winds and then begin to weaken into a low pressure system.

On its way, Chanthu will cause rough seas in the Tonkin Gulf and dump heavy rain on north-eastern provinces. It is likely to cause flash floods and landslides in low-lying mountain localities.

The National Steering Committee on Flood and Storm Control reported on July 22 that more than 50,000 vessels with 203,000 fishermen have been brought ashore or returned to storm shelters.

Coastal provinces from Quang Ngai to Quang Ninh have been asked to keep a close watch on the direction of the storm and guide fishing vessels still operating at sea to storm shelters nearby.

Mountain localities have been requested to put forces on standby and move local residents living in flood-prone areas to safe grounds.

On July 22, floodwaters caused by heavy downpours in northern mountain Ha Giang province washed away a boy walking to school in Be Chieu village, Bac Quang district.

Torrential rains accompanied by whirlwinds have caused huge damage to people’s property and subsidiary crops.