Responding to storm No. 11: The army is ready to send forces and flycams to support localities in surveying vulnerable areas.

On October 4, the General Staff of the Vietnam People's Army issued Official Dispatch No. 5711/CD-TM to military agencies and units on focusing on responding to storm No. 11 (Matmo) in 2025.

Military officers and soldiers help overcome damage at schools in Ha Tinh province. Illustrative photo: Huu Quyet/VNA

Telegram sent to: General Department of Politics; General Departments: Logistics - Engineering, Defense Industry, General Department II; Military Regions: 1, 2, 3, 4; Army Corps 12; Service Branches: Air Defense - Air Force, Navy; Border Guard, Vietnam Coast Guard; Commands: Hanoi Capital, Artillery - Missile; Service Branches: Armored, Special Forces, Engineers, Chemical, Communications; Service Branches: 11, 12, 18, 19; Military Industry - Telecommunications Group ( Viettel ).

Implementing the Prime Minister 's Official Dispatch No. 186/CD-TTg dated October 4, 2025 on proactively responding to storm No. 11, to proactively respond to storms causing heavy rain, floods, inundation, flash floods, landslides, minimizing damage to life and property of the State and people, the General Staff requests military agencies and units to strictly maintain on-duty regime, proactively monitor and grasp the situation of storms and floods caused by storms; deploy preventive measures to ensure the safety of barracks, warehouses, and works under construction; prepare forces and means to respond promptly and effectively when situations arise. Ensure absolute safety for people and vehicles when performing tasks.

Military regions: 1, 2, 3, 4, direct the Military Commands of provinces and cities to strictly maintain the 112 hotline, proactively coordinate with relevant agencies to advise local Party committees and authorities to continue to inspect and review response plans and options in accordance with reality; identify key disaster areas, areas at risk of flash floods, landslides, weak dikes, embankments, lakes, dams, flooded and isolated areas.

At the same time, units proactively help the government and people harvest aquatic products and agricultural production; reinforce houses, evacuate households in areas at high risk of landslides, flash floods, and deep flooding to safe places; ensure key works, unfinished constructions, industrial parks, urban areas, residential areas and production activities, to prevent unfortunate human losses due to carelessness and subjectivity; proactively deploy forces, means, and mobile equipment to support local people in areas forecasted to be at high risk of being cut off and isolated due to the impact of storms, floods, and rains.

The General Staff requested the Border Guard Command to direct the Border Guard Commands of coastal provinces and cities from Quang Ninh to Ninh Binh to continue to review and count boats and vehicles operating at sea by all means to inform boats and vehicles still operating at sea about the storm's developments; guide them to move out of and not enter areas at risk of being affected by the storm; call on and guide boats and vehicles to safe storm shelters; guide and support people to deploy necessary measures to ensure the safety of boats at anchorage (to prevent sinking at shelters).

The Vietnam Navy and Coast Guard direct their subordinate agencies and units to deploy safety measures; prepare forces and means for search and rescue when situations arise at sea and on islands.

In addition, the Air Defense - Air Force, Corps 18 need to check and review plans, organize forces and vehicles to be ready to conduct search and rescue flights by air when ordered.

The General Staff noted that the 12th Corps; the commands: Hanoi Capital, Artillery - Missile, and the corps and arms review and supplement plans and options suitable to the actual situation, ensure safety for the forces performing the mission, and be ready with forces and means to participate in rescue when requested by the locality.

The Signal Corps directs units to ensure smooth communication for the Head of the Ministry of National Defense to direct and operate rescue work, especially in isolated areas.

Military Region 3 coordinated with the Military Industry - Telecommunications Group to establish a Forward Command Center and all other necessary assurance work to serve the Government and Prime Minister in directing and operating the response to storm No. 11.

The Military Industry - Telecommunications Group coordinates with Military Region 3 and relevant agencies to ensure transmission lines and other necessary conditions for the Government and the Prime Minister to hold online meetings with localities to serve the direction, operation and response to storm No. 11; be ready to send forces and vehicles (flycam) to coordinate with military regions, support localities in surveying vulnerable areas to promptly detect cracks, areas at risk of landslides, flash floods, and areas that are cut off and isolated to provide early warning and search and rescue.

The General Departments: Logistics - Engineering, Defense Industry, General Department II, according to their functions and tasks, strengthen direction, urge, and inspect subordinate units to do a good job of responding to storm No. 11, overcoming the consequences of rain, floods, landslides, rockslides, ensuring the safety of warehouses, factories, weapons and equipment; ensuring good logistics and technology to serve the work of responding to natural disasters; proactively coordinate, provide and promptly transport rescue supplies and equipment to help localities respond and overcome the consequences when situations occur.

The General Staff requests units to organize implementation and report to the General Staff through the Ministry's Command and the Department of Rescue and Relief for monitoring and direction.

*According to the forecast of the National Center for Hydrometeorology, on October 3, 2025, storm Matmo (storm No. 11) entered the East Sea. At 7:00 a.m. on October 4, the center of the storm was at about 18.1 degrees North latitude - 116.9 degrees East longitude, in the sea area east of the North East Sea, about 530km East Northeast of Hoang Sa special zone. The strongest wind near the center of the storm was level 11 (103-117km/h), gusting to level 14, moving in the West Northwest direction, speed about 25km/h.

According to forecasts, storm No. 11 will continue to strengthen to level 12-13, gusting to level 15-16, moving quickly towards the Loi Chau peninsula and the Gulf of Tonkin; on October 5-7, the storm will directly affect the Gulf of Tonkin, the coast and mainland of our country, continuing to cause heavy rain in the Northern region, Thanh Hoa, and Nghe An.

Storms No. 9, 10 and 11 appeared consecutively, right when the work to overcome the consequences of the previous storms and floods had not yet been completed. This is a form of double natural disaster (storm on storm, flood on flood), with a very high risk of flash floods, landslides in the mountainous provinces, the Northern midlands, the North Central region and flooding in urban areas, low-lying areas, threatening the safety of the traffic system, dykes, dams, especially damaged works that have not been promptly repaired.

Source: https://baotintuc.vn/xa-hoi/ung-pho-bao-so-11-quan-doi-san-sang-cu-luc-luong-va-flycam-ho-tro-dia-phuong-khao-sat-khu-vuc-xung-yeu-20251004193730518.htm