A tropical storm has formed in the East Sea and is forecast to pick up forward speed before making landfall in Vietnam in a couple of days, according to the national weather authority (NCHF).

Typhoon Bolaven, with the strongest wind speed of 75km per hour near its eye, entered the East Sea on Wednesday morning and becomes the first tropical storm to hit the East Sea this year.

 At least nine people were killed and many are still missing after one of the strongest typhoons on record barreled into the southern Chinese territory of Macau, 

The tropical storm, which developed from a low-pressure system yesterday afternoon near the East Sea, will bring torrential rains with rainfall up to 500mm for localities in the north and central region from this afternoon until Saturday.

 VietNamNet Bridge – The Central and Central Highlands Flood and Storm Prevention Centre said it was yet to make contact with two fishing vessels off the coast of the Philippines.

 VietNamNet Bridge – Viet Nam lacks qualified weather forecasting experts, Phan Van Tan, a lecturer at the Ha Noi University of Natural Science's Faculty of Hydrology and Meteorology, told Hai Quan newspaper.

 VietNamNet Bridge – Tropical storm Kalmaegi, packing winds of up to 133 km per hour, is expected to bring heavy rains of 100 to 300mm in the northern region tonight.

 VietNamNet Bridge – This year's eighth tropical storm has killed at least three people, left one missing, one injured, and seven farmers isolated after bringing torrential rains to central and central highland regions.

 VietNamNet Bridge – Thousands of fishing vessels have headed for safe harbour as storms continue to lash the central provinces, damaging homes, washing away bridges, closing schools and forcing large scale relocations