From the morning of 13/9, strong winds affected the Cat Hai Special Economic Zone due to the influence of a tropical depression and an intertropical convergence zone. The Cai Vieng - Dong Bai ferry terminal temporarily suspended operations, forcing hundreds of vehicles and tourists on Cat Ba island to switch to either the cable car or the Gia Luan - Tuan Chau ferry. By 11h on the same day, the Gia Luan ferry terminal became severely congested.

Do Nhung's family of 11, tourists from Hanoi, had planned to leave Cat Ba on 13/9 but were stranded for an additional night. As their young children needed to return for school, the family split, with five members taking the cable car, and the rest waiting for the ferry on the morning of 14/9. Arriving at Gia Luan terminal at 6h, Nhung reported that hundreds of cars were already lined up, and it took seven hours just to enter the terminal area to get a spot for the ferry. By 13h30, she estimated another four to five hours of waiting before boarding. "'Getting back would be a blessing; my family even considered leaving the car and taking the cable car,' she said."

Inside the ferry waiting area at Gia Luan terminal on the afternoon of 14/9. *Photo: NVCC*

Nguyen Thanh Huan, another tourist, stated that his family waited from 12h on 13/9 until the morning of 14/9 but still could not board the ferry due to overcrowding. Some people chose to leave their personal vehicles on the island, paying an overnight parking fee of 40,000-70,000 dong, and took the cable car back to the mainland.

Manh Tan, a tourist from Hanoi, departed at 8h for Gia Luan terminal but after four hours of waiting, had only moved a few tens of meters. He was still about 400 m from the terminal and was unsure if he could reach Hanoi today.

Long lines of people waiting to board the Cat Ba cable car to the mainland on 13/9. *Photo: NVCC*

With no restaurants along the road leading to the terminal, many people had to wait in their cars. Some families sent members on foot into the terminal to buy snacks like instant noodles and bread for their relatives.

Around 13h on 14/9, the Cai Vieng - Dong Bai terminal reopened. Some vehicles waiting at Gia Luan turned back towards this terminal. However, many families, like Nhung's, could not turn their cars around because the terminal was already too congested, forcing them to continue waiting.

According to the National Center for Hydro-Meteorological Forecasting, the strong winds and heavy rain are a result of a tropical depression and an intertropical convergence zone. Heavy rain from southern Nghe An to Quang Tri is expected to shift north, with some areas in the southern Red River Delta and Thanh Hoa to northern Ha Tinh potentially receiving over 450 mm in the next two days. The weather tracking application Accuweather forecasts heavy rain in Hai Phong until the end of 16/9.

Le Tan - Hoai Anh