Hundreds of flights to and from central Vietnamese localities have been canceled as Typhoon Molave, the strongest storm to hit Vietnam since the beginning of this year, is closing in on the country.

Airlines in Vietnam previously announced that all flights to and from Thua Thien-Hue, Da Nang, Quang Nam, Phu Yen, Binh Dinh, and Khanh Hoa in the central region, as well as Gia Lai, Dak Lak, and Lam Dong in the Central Highlands have to take off one to three hours earlier than their original schedule on Tuesday.

All flights to and from the region must land before 6:00 pm on Tuesday to prepare for the arrival of Typhoon Molave.

As the storm is forecast to make landfall in central Vietnam on Wednesday, many flights have also been canceled on this day.

Accordingly, national carrier Vietnam Airlines will scrap 104 flights to and from Nghe An, Quang Binh, Thua Thien-Hue, Da Nang, Quang Nam, Binh Dinh, Phu Yen, and Gia Lai.

Pacific Airlines will not operate flights along the Ho Chi Minh City-Da Nang and Ho Chi Minh City-Binh Dinh routes.

Other flights to and from Khanh Hoa, Lam Dong, and Dak Lak will be adjusted based on the development of the storm.

Approximately 200 flights operated by Vietnam Airlines Group, including Vietnam Airlines, Pacific Airlines, and VASCO, will be directly and indirectly affected by the storm.

The Ministry of Transport has decided to shut down six airports in Da Nang, Phu Yen, Quang Nam, Binh Dinh, Thua Thien-Hue, and Gia Lai from Tuesday evening.

The airdromes are expected to be reopened from 6:00 pm on Wednesday.

Seven trains will be suspended on Tuesday night and Wednesday.

As of 3:00 pm on Tuesday, Typhoon Molave was located vietje580 kilometers southeast of Da Nang, with winds at 150-165km per hour and gusts at up to 220km an hour.

The storm, the strongest to impact Vietnam so far this year, is expected to make landfall between Da Nang and Phu Yen in the next 24 hours, unleashing winds at 120-150 km per hour before weakening into a tropical depression.

Torrential rain will batter provinces across central Vietnam and the Central Highlands from October 27 to 31.

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