Vietnam MAE warns of Typhoon Wipha’s extremes

Stay ahead of Typhoon Wipha

During an inspection of Typhoon Wipha preparedness in Ninh Binh on the afternoon of July 21, Acting Minister of Agriculture and Environment Tran Duc Thang praised the province’s proactive stance. At the same time, he stressed the importance of staying vigilant and ready for any emergency.

“We have only half a day left,” Mr. Thang emphasized, urging local authorities to anticipate every possible scenario to avoid being caught off guard by Typhoon Wipha’s extreme developments.

Vietnam's Ministry of Agriculture and Environment is constantly updating forecasts on the typhoon’s path and intensity. At first, it was difficult to predict Wipha’s rapid move inland. In response, local authorities have been rolling out early-stage prevention and control measures. He acknowledged the close coordination between all levels of government, armed forces, police, local militias, and the guidance of provincial leaders.

However, Mr. Thang warned of the high risk of severe damage, especially to power infrastructure, dams, agricultural production, and residents’ safety.

“If gusts reach Level 11–12, power poles could snap, triggering widespread outages. This would disrupt factories and industrial zones. Without power, we lose control and the ability to respond,” he cautioned.

The Acting Minister urged Ninh Binh to review backup power plans for critical facilities and prepare post-storm support for residents, with special attention to vulnerable coastal areas exposed to strong winds.

He recalled witnessing Super Typhoon Yagi in late 2024, which tore off hundreds of kilograms of corrugated metal roofing and flung it hundreds of meters away—an example of how unpredictable disasters can be. “The sea offers no natural barrier. The consequences will be severe if we fail to prepare,” he stressed.

Mr. Thang confirmed that the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment will deploy standby forces to support the province in both emergency response and post-storm recovery. “The Ministry will be on the ground, working closely with local authorities and communities to ensure no one is left behind,” he said.

Typhoon Wipha is expected to make landfall in the area from Hai Phong to Ninh Binh, then move to Thanh Hoa province before heading to Laos. However, the midland and mountainous provinces of Northern Vietnam are expected to experience significant rainfall following the typhoon. Mr. Thang encouraged Ninh Binh province and its neighboring localities to not only concentrate on the typhoon's landfall but also to proactively address the risks of landslides, flooding, and flash floods in the aftermath.

The trend of extreme weather is inevitable, but the severity of the typhoons is uncertain. Several more typhoons are predicted by the end of 2025. The Acting Minister underscored the necessity of treating disaster response as a routine matter and refraining from being passive.

The comprehensive assessment of the situation in coastal provinces from Hai Phong to Thanh Hoa includes an inspection of Typhoon Wipha prevention and control in Ninh Binh. This assessment aims to inform the government's disaster management efforts this year. Mr. Thang commended Ninh Binh's meticulous preparation and requested that the province maintain a 24/7 duty roster to ensure the safety of residents and minimize typhoon damage. This will involve maintaining forces and equipment prepared.

Focus on reviewing projects

On the afternoon of July 21, Acting Minister of Agriculture and Environment Tran Duc Thang inspected the Quan Thinh fishing port, the ongoing construction of the Hai Thinh 2 embankment, and the Con Tron sea dike.

The director of the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment observed that Ninh Binh and certain other localities had received funding from the Ministry for disaster prevention projects. However, they were still facing challenges, particularly in land clearance.

According to him, the ministry is responsible, but local authorities are responsible for implementation. He stated that the central government cannot be the sole source of resolution for on-site issues; only local authorities are capable of doing so.

The Acting Minister requested that local authorities evaluate the progress of all projects, particularly those that utilize central government funds, in order to identify and address bottlenecks in a timely manner following this typhoon.

The disbursement progress in certain provinces is not keeping pace with the limited time remaining in 2025. This will influence the allocation of the budget for the subsequent phase and the efficacy of public investment capital utilization. Mr. Tran Duc Thang believes that timely and effective investment in irrigation infrastructure and disaster prevention works is essential in light of the increasing complexity of climate change and natural disasters.

Deputy Director of the Department of Dike Management and Disaster Prevention Nguyen Van Tien confirmed that a plan is in place to deploy specialized personnel directly to critical and vulnerable communes, particularly now that the two-tier government model is operational, in response to the Acting Minister's comments.

"We have collaborated with local authorities and discovered that certain communes remain unclear in the aftermath of mergers", Mr. Tien disclosed. The Department had dispatched personnel to three communes as of the afternoon of July 21 to conduct a direct inspection of material warehouses and response equipment in accordance with the "four on-sites" principle: on-site command, on-site forces, on-site equipment and materials, and on-site logistics.

The Department recommended that the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment issue Official Letter No. 4622 to the People's Committees of provinces and localities with vessels operating in the Gulf of Tonkin earlier on the morning of July 21. The letter demanded the immediate mobilization of all forces and resources to call, guide, or enforce the return of these vessels to the shore for anchorage.

Currently, the typhoon and floods pose a threat to nearly 150,000 hectares of aquaculture in coastal provinces and localities from Quang Ninh to Ha Tinh, as well as nearly 4,000 aquaculture watchtowers and nearly 30,000 aquaculture cages and rafts. These figures are based on preliminary statistics. The Department dispatched numerous inspection teams on the morning of July 21 to mandate that proprietors of cages and watchtowers relocate to secure locations.