Flooding on Giang Street in Hương Sơn, Hà Tĩnh Province, at 6.20am Monday. — VNS Photos Quyết Thắng

HÀ TĨNH — Typhoon Bualoi (Storm No.10) made landfall over central Việt Nam early Monday, unleashing gale-force winds and torrential downpours across a wide area.

The National Centre for Hydro-Meteorological Forecasting reported maximum gusts on land reaching level 14 at Hoành Sơn Station in the central province of Hà Tĩnh, the strongest recorded so far.

At coastal monitoring stations, winds of level 7 with gusts up to 9 were reported at Cô Tô (the northern province of Quảng Ninh), level 8 with gusts 9 at Bạch Long Vĩ (Hải Phòng City), and level 9 with gusts 13 at Hòn Ngư (Nghệ An Province), where storm surge rose to 1.6m. At Cồn Cỏ Island (Quảng Trị Province), winds reached level 10 with gusts 11, while Kỳ Anh (Hà Tĩnh Province) recorded level 10 with gusts 12.

At 4am on September 29, the storm centre was located at 18.5 degrees north latitude and 105.5 degrees east longitude directly over the Hà Tĩnh coastline, packing winds of level 10–11 (89–117 km/h) with gusts up to 13. Moving west-northwest at 20–25 km/h, it is forecast to weaken into a tropical depression and later into a low-pressure system over northern Laos by late afternoon.

Ngàn Phố Bridge in Hương Sơn, Hà Tĩnh Province, at 6.40am Monday.

The storm has generated violent seas with waves of 3–5m from Thanh Hóa to Quảng Trị and 2–4m across the northern Gulf of Tonkin. Storm surge of 0.5–1.5m is threatening low-lying coastal areas from Hải Phòng City to Nghệ An Province, especially during high tide.

Heavy rainfall is expected on Monday and Tuesday (September 29, 30). Downpours of 150–250 mm, with isolated totals exceeding 400 mm, are forecast for the northern delta, Phú Thọ, southern Sơn La and Lào Cai, and provinces from Thanh Hóa to Hà Tĩnh. Elsewhere in the north and northern Quảng Trị, totals of 100–200 mm, locally above 300 mm, are predicted. Authorities have warned of flash flooding, landslides and inundation in low-lying areas. — VNS

Ngàn Phố Bridge in Hương Sơn, Hà Tĩnh Province, at 6.40am Monday.

Flooding in Giang Street, Hà Tĩnh Province, on Monday morning.

The floodwaters rose so high that they almost submerged a traffic sign on the street.

A fallen tree blocked the road leading to Mỹ Thịnh Bridge in Tứ Mỹ Commune.