Hanoi, Sept. 23 -- Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh has issued dispatch No.171/CD-TTg, dated September 23, calling for urgent and decisive measures by ministries, agencies, and localities to respond to super typhoon Ragasa, the ninth storm that hit the East Sea this year.

According to the National Centre for Hydro-Meteorological Forecasting, at 4 pm on September 23, its eye was located about 680km east of China's Leizhou Peninsula with wind speeds reaching Level 17 on Vietnam's wind scale, and gusts exceeding that. The storm is forecast to weaken slightly but remain very strong before making landfall in northern Vietnam on September 25 with wind speeds of Level 10-11, and gust reaching level 12-13. Rainfall will concentrate across the nort...