Vietnam has launched a large-scale emergency response as Typhoon Bualoi nears its central coast, mobilising nearly 100,000 military personnel and evacuating around 250,000 people, according to Al Jazeera, citing local media reports. The powerful storm, with wind speeds reaching up to 130 km/h, marks the 10th typhoon to hit the country this year and was expected to make landfall late Sunday.

Described by Vietnam’s meteorological agency as unusually fast-moving and wide-reaching, Typhoon Bualoi is capable of triggering simultaneous disasters — including intense winds, torrential rainfall, flash floods, landslides, and coastal surges. "This is a rapidly moving storm, nearly twice the average speed," the agency warned.

Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh has ordered authorities to maintain the “highest level of readiness,” Viet Nam News reported. In preparation for the storm’s arrival, the government has shut down at least four airports and directed all fishing boats to return to shore. Coastal communities have been instructed to secure vessels and property, while workers have been deployed to reinforce vulnerable shorelines with sandbags, stone, bamboo stakes, and trucks.

In Da Nang, Vietnam’s largest city, over 210,000 residents are being relocated to safer areas. Nearby, in Hue, more than 30,000 people from coastal regions are also being evacuated. Local media reported the coordinated effort includes thousands of emergency personnel and volunteers.

Tragically, the storm has already claimed lives. Off the coast of Quang Tri province, large waves capsized a fishing vessel and disabled another. Three fishermen from Ho Chi Minh City remain missing, while eight others were rescued. The boats were located about 1.5 km from the mouth of the Cua Viet Channel.

Typhoon Bualoi had already caused destruction in the Philippines earlier in the week, killing at least 10 people and leaving another 10 missing due to mudslides and flooding.

Experts continue to warn that storms in Southeast Asia are becoming stronger and more frequent due to climate change. In Vietnam alone, over 100 people have died or gone missing in the first seven months of 2025 as a result of natural disasters, according to the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development.