A low pressure system in the East Sea is moving mainly west towards Southern Vietnam and may develop into a tropical storm, the National Hydro-Meteorological Forecasting Center has warned. At 4 am today, the system was located 160 km east-southeast of the region between Ba Ria-Vung Tau and Ca Mau provinces, packing winds of 62-74 kph and gusts of up to 87 kph.

In the next 24 hours, the system is likely to move between west and west-northwest at 10-15 kph and may strengthen into a storm. At 4 pm today the center of the depression is expected to lie off of Ba Ria-Vung Tau and Ca Mau, with the same wind strength. Due to the depression, areas west of the Truong Sa (Spratly) Islands and between Binh Thuan and Ca Mau provinces, including Phu Quy and Con Dao Islands, will face strong winds of up to 62 kph and gusts of up to 87 kph. Thunderstorms and rough seas will impact this area. The depression has also caused medium to heavy rain in southern provinces and other localities from Binh Thuan Province to Da Nang City since last night. From this morning, the region between Binh Thuan and Ca Mau provinces will face winds of 45-62 kph and gusts of 75 kph. Yesterday, the Central Steering Board for Flood and Storm Prevention and Control asked local authorities in Southern Vietnam to call in all boats at sea before 6 am today. Local authorities must follow the weather conditions in order to be ready to evacuate people from dangerous places when necessary. Border guard forces in the region from central Da Nang city to southern Kien Giang province have informed more than 25,000 boats with about 161,000 people on board about the depression’s development so that they cand take safety measures in time. The Ho Chi Minh City People’s Committee yesterday ordered the authorities of Can Gio District to prepare a plan to evacuate residents on Thanh An Island and some other areas to safe ground. The Foreign Ministry has asked the Philippines, Indonesia, Brunei, Malaysia and Thailand for their assistance in helping Vietnamese boats find shelter in these countries.

Le Van Luong Street in HCMC's Nha Be District was seriously submerged by the high tide yesterday (Photo: Tuoi Tre)

Strongest high tide in Ca Mau Along with the depression, a high tide of 2.3-2.7 meters, the highest in 15 years, is forecast to take place tomorrow morning, November 16, in southernmost Ca Mau Province, especially in such districts as Nam Can, Ngoc Hien, Tran Van Thoi, and U Minh. Meanwhile, a high tide of 2.3 meters is expected to occur in Bac Lieu Province tomorrow, causing heavy inundation of a large residential area from Nha Mat to Ganh Hao, the provincial authorities said. That same day a large high tide will also submerge many streets and areas in Ho Chi Minh City, including Luong Dinh Cua Street in District 2, Phu Dinh and Binh Dong Quays on District 8, and Huynh Tan Phat in District 7. These places could be under 20-40 cm of water. According to the Southern Hydro-Meteorological Station, the high tide in HCMC will reach 1.6 meters today.