In a weather bulletin released on July 11, the centre said that at 16.00, storm Soudeler - the fourth of its kind to form in the East Sea this year – was positioned at 20.1 degrees north latitude and 113.5 degrees east longitude, about 330km southeast of Leizhou peninsula of China. It was packing winds of between 62-74kph near its eye.

The storm is expected to move west and north west in the next 24 hours at a speed of 20-25kph and dump heavy rains on northern coastal provinces from Quang Ninh to Hai Phong. It will weaken into a tropical depression when it moves further inland. It will cause strong winds and rough seas in the northern part of the East Sea and northern coastal provinces. Mountainous provinces are warned of flash floods and landslides.

The same day, the National Committee for Flood and Storm Control held a urgent meeting to cope with the storm. Deputy Prime Minister Hoang Trung Hai asked northern provinces, especially coastal localities, to be well prepared for the storm. He asked rescue forces to call in vessels still at sea, reinforce public properties and move people in the lowland and flood-prone areas to higher ground before the storm makes landfall.