Typhoon Bolaven has weakened into a tropical depression after entering the East Vietnam Sea and is forecast to dissipate during its journey at sea.

The storm, the first to hit Vietnam this year, passed Song Tu Tay Island in Vietnam’s Truong Sa (Spratly) Archipelago, packing winds at 60 to 75km per hour, on Wednesday night before being downgraded to a tropical depression.

The low-pressure system was located 200 kilometers east of the coastline from Phu Yen to Ninh Thuan Provinces in the south-central region at 7:00 am on Thursday, according to the National Center for Hydro-meteorological Forecasting.

Average wind speed was between 40 and 50km per hour.

In the next 12 hours, it will travel southwestward at 15km an hour.

By 7:00 pm on Thursday, the tropical depression is expected to hover over the mainland of south-central Vietnam, while wind speed will decrease to below 40km per hour.

There is also a possibility that it will dissipate at sea.

Rains, strong winds, and rough seas will occur in the maritime area off Phu Yen and Binh Thuan Provinces.

Vietnam was struck by a total of 16 storms in 2017.

The first typhoon, Merbok, entered the East Vietnam Sea in early June, while the last, storm Tembin, threatened the southern region in late December.

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