The coastal region from Quang Ninh in northern Vietnam to the south-central province of Thanh Hoa is at the highest risk from strong storms, including super-typhoons, in Vietnam, a new study says.

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The warning was released by Huynh Thi Lan Huong, deputy director of the Institute for Hydro-Meteorology and Climate Change, under the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment, at an online conference on measures to effectively cope with powerful storms. 

The latest study by a group of researchers from the ministry on the frequency and intensity of storms in Vietnam has divided the country into five coastal regions with different storm risks, Huong said.

Accordingly, Zone 1 is the Quang Ninh-Thanh Hoa region – including Quang Ninh, Hai Phong, Thai Binh, Nam Dinh, Ninh Binh and Thanh Hoa – is considered the most at-risk region, with an average number of storms per year of up to 1.5.

This area is also the earliest to be hit by a storm each year – from June to August every year.

The area was once hit by a storm packing winds of up to  183 kph when it made a landfall – the highest speed compared to every other region.

The region also topped the list in rainfall caused by storms, with 470 mm during 24 hours. The farther south the area, the lower the frequency and intensity of storms, Huong said, citing the study. 

The other zones includes Zone 2: from Nghe An to Thua Thien-Hue provinces; Zone 3: from Da Nang city to Binh Dinh province; Zone 4: from Phu Yen to Khanh Hoa provinces; and Zone 5: from Ninh Thuan to the southernmost province of Ca Mau.

Of these zones, Zones 2 and 3 have experienced strong storms with winds ranging from 89 to 149 kph, while the other two zones have the fewest number of storms per year among the five zones.        In the future, the intensity of storms in all five zones may be stronger, researchers warned in their study.

Regarding rising seawater caused by storms, the highest sea water height has been recorded in Zone 2, with a height of up to 6.2 meters, the study says. In Zones 1, 3, 4, and 5, the respective maximum seawater heights are 6 meters, 3.2 meters, 3.4 meters and 5 meters. Although the Mekong Delta region (the southern part of Zone 5) is at the lowest risks of storms, it will be the most severely affected in case a storm does strike it, an official from the Irrigation Science Institute said. This is because this delta region is a low-lying area with numerous rivers, and most houses there are poorly built, the official explained. Speaking at the conference, Deputy Prime Minister Hoang Trung Hai requested that all local authorities create plans to cope with powerful storms to minimize loss in life and property. “By June 2015, the steering board for storm and flood prevention and control of all provinces and cities must add to their annual anti-storm program an additional plan for coping with powerful storms, including super typhoons,” Hai said.

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