HO CHI MINH CITY/HONG KONG — A supertyphoon forced Vietnam to close four airports for a day, delaying hundreds of flights around the capital, while halting tourism activities and factories of Apple suppliers and other businesses moving supply chains from China. . Meanwhile, the same typhoon closed the Hong Kong stock market on Friday.
About 240 domestic and 70 international flights will be suspended on Saturday to “ensure absolute safety” and “prevent the impact of the typhoon on technical infrastructure,” Vietnam's civil aviation authority CAAV said.
Deputy Prime Minister Tran Hong Ha said Vietnam should seize the “golden moment” to prepare for typhoon Yagi, which is forecast to hit airports in Hanoi and Thanh Hoa, the port city of Haiphong and Quang Ninh province. UNESCO heritage site Ha Long Bay and many large factories for companies including Vietnamese electric car maker VinFast, plus Apple suppliers Pegatron and USI.
As the mega-storm moves through the Gulf of Tonkin, the tropical country is watching for potential impacts on oil and gas fields in the South China Sea, mining operations in the north, the power grid, hydroelectric dams, fish farms and rice fields.
Authorities are issuing warnings to residents, ordering the evacuation of fishing boats and homes vulnerable to flooding and mudslides, deploying emergency workers and vehicles, trimming trees and checking infrastructure such as reservoirs and dams, the government said on its website. Local media reported that hundreds of travelers had their cruises canceled in Ha Long Bay, where companies often sail sleeper ships for overnight tours of the olive-green hills and waters.
Last month, Vietnam was near the top of Gallup's ranking of nations that use disaster planning and early warning effectively. The flood-prone Southeast Asian country has 3,000 km of coastline and is in the midst of its monsoon season. According to the government forecast, Yagi could bring waves of 8 meters and strong winds within a 250 km radius of the storm.
Supertyphoon Yagi has already left its mark before hitting Vietnam.
The Hong Kong Observatory has issued a tropical cyclone warning signal of No. 8, one of the highest warning levels, forcing daily activities to be restricted.
Yagi's projection path. (Photo from the Facebook page of the National Hydrometeorological Forecasting Center, Vietnam)
The Hong Kong stock exchange canceled after-hours trading for the day as the warning was issued on Thursday evening. As of midday local time, trading in securities and derivatives was suspended on Friday under a long-standing agreement in the city.
However, this may be the last time we witness a market shutdown due to extreme weather conditions in Hong Kong, as the new rule will come into effect on September 23. As the local government intended, the decades-long practice has recently been changed. strengthening the market's competitiveness in the face of increased competition from regional exchanges.
The window of a clothing store in Hong Kong is filmed ahead of Typhoon Yagi, September 5, 2024. © Reuters
Along with financial markets, government functions and private sectors have suspended their normal activities. All sessions of courts and tribunals were adjourned on Friday and rescheduled for next week. School children were also affected as all classes in the city, from kindergarten to high school, were closed for the day, except for evening schools, which will resume operations at 12:40 p.m. local time due to the downgrading of the hurricane warning level.
According to local authorities, dozens of incidents of falling trees and one flood and landslide have been confirmed. As a result of the hurricane, 9 people were injured, but no deaths were reported.