FISHERMAN’S HANDBOOK On Typhoons and Strong Winds in Vietnam

International Environmentand Disaster Management (IEDM) Laboratory
Graduate School of Global Environmental Studies
KYOTO UNIVERSITY
Yoshida Honmachi, Sakyo-ku, Kyoto 606-8501 Japan
http://www.iedm.ges.kyoto-u.ac.jp

FISHERMAN’S HANDBOOK
On Typhoons and Strong Winds in Vietnam

Map of the sea regions of Vietnam(Source: http://www.lyson.org)

T eam
Kieu Thi Kinh
Nguyen Huy
Rajib Shaw

A cknowledgements
This research is made by Kieu Thi Kinh with thesupport from the JENESYS Exchange program
scholarship in Kyoto University, which is highly
acknowledged. The publication is made possible
through the Kyoto University President’s Fund.

C ontact
Rajib Shaw
Associate Professor
Graduate School of Global Environmental Studies
KYOTO UNIVERSITY
Yoshida Honmachi, Sakyo-ku, Kyoto 606-8501, JAPANTel/ Fax: 81-75-753-5708
E-mail: shaw@global.mbox.media.kyoto-u.ac.jp
Web: http://www.iedm.ges.kyoto-u.ac.jp/

FISHERMAN’S HANDBOOK
On Typhoons and Strong Winds in Vietnam

F oreword
The ﬁsheries sector contributes signiﬁcantly to the economy of Vietnam andprovides employment opportunities to thousands of people. Conversely, theincrease in the number of typhoons in the country has led to severe impacts
in the economic, social and environmental sectors in the past. This ongoing
trend challenges the coastal population, particularly the ﬁshing communities
which are considered to be the most vulnerable. In order to mitigate
damages due to typhoons as well as to protect ﬁshing communities,
ﬁshermen are required to have a good preparation and understanding tocope with future strong wind-related disasters.
This handbook is intended as an easily accessible reference guide forﬁshermen and their colleagues before and during disasters. It contents are
divided into three main parts:• Introduction• Inland activities• At sea activities
The handbook provides some skills and preparation activities that theﬁshermen should learn and practice during their daily activities and typhoon
time. The handbook also provides some information on the core
governmental regulations and other information on havens for sheltering,coastal stations, which are useful for each ﬁshing trip. This handbook aims tostimulate communication among ﬁshing communities to share theirknowledge, especially their experiences, with each other towards safer
communities. This handbook is not the ultimate safety guide for the ﬁshers,
but this is the very ﬁrst step to enhance the awareness of the ﬁshingcommunities, their associations, and related government departments.
Hopefully, this handbook will contribute, even in a small way, to enhancethe disaster awareness of Vietnamese ﬁshermen for their safety fromtyphoons and strong wind-related disasters.
Rajib Shaw
Associate Professor
Kyoto University

Handbook3

H ow T o U se T his H andbook
1. How the handbook can be distributed to ﬁshermen
In the context of Vietnam where ﬁshermen work closely with oﬃcials of theAquatic Product Agency, the oﬃcials can distribute the handbook to theﬁshermen. However one of the most eﬃcient ways of handbook distribution
is via training courses for ﬁshermen related to typhoon disaster mitigationand prevention, and through the ﬁshermen’s association and other related
associations.
2. How ﬁshermen can use the handbooks
The handbook contains 3 main parts and the ﬁshermen should read frompart 1 to 3 carefully. The ﬁsherman can also refer to each part directly incase of emergency.
There are some blank parts in this book where ﬁshermen can write down therelevant experiences by enquiring others.
It is suggested that the ﬁshermen should use this handbook daily. Once thehandbook is received, every ﬁsherman is encouraged to share theinformation in the handbook to their colleagues and their families.
3. Stay up to dateThis handbook is updated from time to time thus all feedbacks on this book
are welcomed to be sent to the following address:
Ms. Kieu Thi Kinh (E-mail: kieukinh@gmail.com)

4

Fisherman’sC ontents
1. INTRODUCTION ----------------------- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 2. INLAND ACTIVITIES --------------------- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 2.1. Normal time ---------------------- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 2.1.1. Update weather forecast ------- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 2.1.2. Necessary kits for a ship before the voyage - - - - - - - - - 2.1.3. Regulations before going to the sea - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 2.1.4. Additional Preparedness ------ - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 2.1.5. Conduct emergency drills ------ - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 2.2. Typhoon time --------------------- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 2.2.1. Before the typhoon ------------ - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 2.2.2. Typhoon signal gun ------------ - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 2.2.2. During typhoon time ----------- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 2.2.3. After typhoon ----------------- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 3. AT SEA ACTIVITIES --------------------- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 3.1. Normal time ---------------------- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 3.1.1. Update weather forecast ------- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 3.1.2. Daily check --------------------- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 3.2. Typhoon time ---------------------- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 3.2.1. Before the typhoon ----------- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 3.2.2. During typhoon time ---------- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 3.2.3. After the typhoon -------------- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Summary --------------------------------- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Further information ----------------------- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -Handbook

7
9
9
9
10
11
11
13
14
14
15
16
17
18
18
18
19
20
20
23
27
29
30

5

List of Figures
Figure 1. Number of typhoons and tropical depressions in the sea
regions of Vietnam from 1961 to 2010 - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 7
Figure 2. Anchoring safely ---------------- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 22
Figure 3. Steering ship from typhoons, tropical depressions - - - - - - - - - - - - 23
Figure 4. How to escape typhoon center region - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 24
Figure 5. Steering ship to prevent from high waves - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 24

List of Tables
Table 1. Occurrences of typhoons and tropical depressions in diﬀerent
sea regions of Vietnam ----------- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 7
Table 2. Damages due to severe typhoons in Vietnam from 2005-2009 - - 8
Table 3. Necessary kits for a ship before voyage - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 10
Table 4. Shooting positions of typhoon gun signal in Vietnam - - - - - - - - - - 15
Table 5. Coastal stations in Vietnam ------ - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 19
Table 6. Places for sheltering ------------ - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 20
Table 7. Information of SAR Center ------- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 26

6

Fisherman’s

1. INTRODUCTION
Typhoons can cause great damages to lives and properties: Especially in thecontext of climate change, typhoons may become more frequent and intense. The
occurrence of typhoons recorded in Vietnam stands as the third most frequent
amongst Southeast Asian countries.
60

North

Central

South

50
40
30
20
10
0

1961-1970

1971-1980

1981-1990

1991-2010

Figure 1 Number of typhoons and tropical depressions in the sea regions ofVietnam from 1961 to 2010

Figure 1 presents that the number of typhoons has increased signiﬁcantly during
the last 50 years, particularly in the south region. The occurrences of typhoons andtropical depressions are diﬀerent from north to south region as shown in Table 1.
Table 1: Occurrences of typhoons and tropical depressions in diﬀerent sea regions ofVietnam
Month
Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
June
July
Aug
Sep
Oct
Nov
Dec
Total

Quang Ninh Thanh Hoa

Nghe An Quang Binh

Quang Tri Quang Ngai

Binh Dinh Ninh Thuan

Binh Thuan Ca Mau

East Sea

3

9
27
23
20
5
1
0
85

1
4
11
15
11
0
0
42

2
4
1
6
18
11
3
1
46

2
1
1
2
21
22
4
53

1
1
0
1
0
0
0
4
9
0
19

1
2
3
1

1
8

Source: Ministry of Natural Resource and Environment, Vietnam

Handbook7Based on the distribution of typhoons in Table 1, the period from June toNovember can be considered as the stormy season in Vietnam. As for the regional
occurrences, the peak season for typhoons in the northern, central, and southernparts is August, October, and November, respectively.
However recent typhoon records have shown uncertainties of typhoon occurrences
and changing paths. For instance, in March 2005, there was a typhoon named Rokethat occurred in East Sea region. Another typical example is typhoon Chanchu
which struck the sea region of Vietnam quite early in May 2006 and its path was
diﬃcult to predict and resulted in the huge loss of oﬀshore ﬁshermen’s lives.
Table 2: Damages due to severe typhoons in Vietnam from 2005-2009
DamageTyphoonTime

Ketsana September 2009
Hagupit September 2008
Durian December 2006
Xangsane October 2006
Damrey September 2005

DeathsDestroyedhousesSunk ships

Economic losses(million USD)

172
41
85
72
68

4 7 2 ,4 5 7
11,6902 4 4 ,9 0 5
3 4 9 ,3 4 8
1 1 8 ,2 6 9

977
38
1,228
951
65

734
53
371
533
180

Source: Central Committee for Flood and Storm Control, Vietnam

The ﬁshermen are one of the most vulnerable groups once typhoons occur.
Typhoons out at sea cause large waves, heavy rain and high winds, disrupting
maritime travel and, at times, causing ships to sink. As a typhoon approaches land,
its wind produces a rush of seawater called a storm surge that can devastate
coastal areas.

Houses were damaged due to typhoon Xangsane, 2006.
Photo by Buu Lan

Ships were sunk at Tho Quang lock.
Source: Vietnam Net

Besides typhoons, ﬁshermen have to confront with other uncertainties of weather
such as tropical low pressures or strong gust of wind. For instance, in December
2010, the sudden occurrence of the north east monsoon at the sea of central
region caused damages to tens of ships and missing ﬁshermen were reported. For
these reasons, this handbook was written to build the capacity of ﬁshermen in
dealing with natural hazards.

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Fisherman’s

2. INLAND ACTIVITIES
2.1. Normal time

2.1.1. Update weather forecast
In order to update weather information, ﬁshermen can rely on oﬃcial weather
forecast channels of Vietnamese Television, FM radio and local television
channels. Apart from the weather forecast, indigenous knowledge is also an
important channel for weather prediction.
Indigenous knowledge for typhoon occurrence
Based on sky status• If the sky is clear and vast, the atmosphere is hot and muggy and windlessfor several days. Then cirrocumulus clouds converge at the horizon storm
will come soon after that cumulonimbus clouds appear, wind comes to bestrong, a typhoon will come from the direction of wind.
• If ﬂash of lighting occurs continuously and regularly, causes interference toradio, the typhoon is occurring at the direction of the brightest lighting. In
Vietnam, before typhoon comes, ﬂash of lighting often occurs in South
East direction.
• Experiences of coastal residents of the north region of Vietnam show thatin the early morning if cirrocumulus clouds in the shape of pangolin scales
appear and move from East to West, there will be a typhoon several days
later.

Cirrocumulus cloud Source: Wikipedia.org

Cumulonimbus cloud Source: maltaweather.info

Based on status of sea surface• Swells appear at sea-surface, spread direction of waves and wind is not thesame, a typhoon occurs more than 100 kilometers far away. Usually, thespread direction of waves matches the moving direction of typhoon.
• Sea surface becomes more bright and changes from calm to rough, theintensity increases bit by bit
Based on animal behaviors• In July with north-east wind, if dragonﬂies ﬂy, there will be storm• If ants build “wall”, there will be a typhoon; if ants carry their babies, there
will be rain

Handbook

92.1.2. Necessary kits for a ship before the voyage
Please check ( ) if your ship is equipped with the following kits for getting to thesea. This checklist is based on the circular 02/2007/TT-BTS of the Vietnamese
government.
Table 3: Necessary kits for a ship before voyage
Kit

Item

Check
EnoughWell-working

Life jacket: each ship must have 2 life
jackets at cabin and 1 for each ﬁsherman
Lifebuoy: 4/ship
Life-raft must contain every member of ship
Transceiver: each ship must have at least 1
Communicationtransceiver with at least 100W capacity
equipment
Transistor radio: each ship should have atleast 1 transistor radio
Long range transceiver: each oﬀshore shipshould have at least 1 transceiver, forexample ICOM 710, ICOM 77, ICOM 718
FM radioCompass
Nauticalequipment (each Radarship must have 1) Depth gauge
GPS machine: 1/ship
Nautical binocular: 1/ship
Pole: 1/ship
Nautical chart: 1/ship
Tidal map of Vietnam
Left Side light: red color
Signal kit (eachship must have 1) Right Side light: Blue color
White lightLight for catching ﬁsh signal: one for eachcolor (white, blue, red)
Red ﬂagWhite ﬂag
Conical black ﬂag
Fire extinguisher Fire extinguisher: 4/ship
Fire ﬁghting pump: 2/ship
Other tools: crowbar, bucket, barrel of sandDry suction pump
Shipwreck andCanvashole prevention
Hand pumpequipment
Buﬀer, rags
Dau rai (dipterocarpus alatus Roxb oil)Life saver

First aid kit and drug

10

Fisherman’s

2.1.3. Regulations before going to the sea
The decree 66/2005/NĐ-CP of the Vietnamese government announced theregulations for ensuring the safety of ﬁshing vessel and people working in thevessel. Based on the decree, before the voyage, ﬁshermen must follow theseregulations:
Ensure the safety of the ship
The necessary equipment for the trip is enough (see section 2.1.2)
Important papers of the ship such as register certiﬁcate, safe shipcertiﬁcate, etc.
In case of oﬀshore ship, every crewmember must have accident insurance
Register your catch-ﬁsh location and communication frequency of ship to
the Agency of Aquatic Protection
Every crewmember must ensure their status of health for the trip
Message: Being at sea in a confined space, the fishermen are
vulnerable to some health factors, such as high levels of smoking
and drinking alcohol, limitation of fresh food and working longhours with disrupted sleep patterns (Matheson et al., 2001). Thus
they should have health insurances and health check-ups at times toensure the state of health for intense periods of work.

2.1.4. Additional Preparedness
Message: If you have any experiences of weather forecasting
and/or facing typhoons and uncertainties at sea please shareamong your friends and neighbors and ask them to also share theirexperiences then write them down.

Experiences of weather forecasting:----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Handbook11Experiences of facing emergency cases:------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

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Fisherman’s

2.1.5. Conduct emergency drills
In order to ensure that every crew member is conversant in dealing withemergency cases, especially when strong wind-related disasters occur suddenly
Content of drills
Fire extinguishment
Rescue and giving ﬁrst aid
Steering ship in accident
Fixing holes of ship
Abandoning ship
Before a drill, each of the members must be assigned tasks so that they can knowwhat they need to act during the drill
Requirement
Captain has to be experienced in appointing members to the posts
All crewmembers have to attend on time
Each of the members is proﬁcient in his tasks and act as quick as possible

Handbook

13

2.2. Typhoon time

2.2.1. Before the typhoon
Message: Usually 2 or 3 days before, typhoon can be detected but
there are typhoons which are very fast and give little time toprepare perhaps only 1 – 1.5 days. Thus adequate and timely
preparation before typhoons will mitigate the damages toproperties and lives. Please read and check ( ) the following
activities for typhoon preparation.

Time

Preparation activities

2 days before

Small ships: secure them away from the reach of waves.
Turn them upside down and tie securely to poles. In area
known to ﬂood, ﬁll them with water and secure to strong
points to prevent them from ﬂoating away.
Ensure that boats are not in danger from falling trees orbranches
Big ships (capacity more than 90Hp): move to lock toprevent them from strong winds, waves.
Anchor them safely
Reinforce the doors, windows…of your ship
Take the fuel and other important stuﬀ away from your ship
Update weather information
Help your colleagues to protect their ships
Ensure that you are at home or safe place with food anddrinks at least for 3 days
Reinforce houses if required especially the glass windows.
Watch for leaks around windows and doors. If the wind isstrong enough, water may be blown into your home evenwhen the windows are closed
Evacuate if the local authority requires you to
Keep emergency kit (ﬁrst aid kit, medicine, food, water,
clothing, candles, important papers) stocked and easily
accessible
Listen to updated weather forecast

1 day before

Check

TYPHOON

14

Fisherman’s

2.2.2. Typhoon signal gun
Signal gun meaning
When an oﬀshore typhoon occurs: shooting number 1, including 9 shoots, blue
color in 3 times, each time 3 shoots, repetitively 3 minutes. Time of ﬁrst andsecond shooting is from 19:30 to 20:00 and from 4:30 to 5:00 repetitively.
When an inshore typhoon occurs: shooting number 2, including 9 shoots in 3
times, each time 3 shoots, repetitively 3 minutes. The 2 ﬁrst shootings are red andthe last is blue. Time of ﬁrst, second and last shooting is from 19:30 to 20:00, from
22:30 to 23:00 and from 4:30 to 5:00 repetitively.
When an emergency typhoon or tropical depression occurs: shooting number 3,
including 9 shoots red color, in 3 times, each time 3 shoots, repetitively 3 minutes.
The 2 ﬁrst shootings are red and the last is blue. Time of ﬁrst, second, third andlast shooting is from 19:30 to 20:00, from 22:30 to 23:00, from 0:30 to 1:00 andfrom 4:30 to 5:00 repetitively.
Table 4: Shooting positions of typhoon gun signal in Vietnam
No

Shooting unit

Position of shooting

1

Quang Ninh

2
3
4

Hai PhongThai Binh
Nam Dinh

5
6

Ninh Binh
Thanh Hoa

7
8
9
10
11
12

Nghe AnHa TinhQuang Binh
Quang Tri
Thua Thien Hue
Da Nang

13

Quang Nam

14

Quang Ngai

15
16
17

Binh Dinh
Phu Yen
Khanh Hoa

Co To island, Co To District
Ngoc Vung island, Van Don District
Bach Long Vy island
Diem Dien
Ngoc Lam, Nghia Trung District
Con Lu, Xuan Thuy District
Doanh Chau, Hai Hau District
Cua Day, Kim Son District
Hoang Truong, Hoang Hoa District
Truong Le, Sam Son city
Duy Xuyen, Tinh Gia District
Hon MatCua Sot, Thach Ha District
Cua Gianh, Quang Trach District
Cua Viet, Gio Linh District
Thuan An, Phu Vang District
Hai Van, Lien Chieu District
Son Tra, Son Tra District
Tan Hiep, Cu Lao Cham, Hoi An CityBan Than, Binh Son District
Sa Huynh, Duc Pho District
Ly Son island
Son Tra, Binh Son District
Nhon Chau, Quy Nhon City
Hon Bu, Tuy An District
Dam Mon, Van Ninh District
Hon Mun, Nha Trang City
Binh Ba, Cam Ranh Town

Handbook15

18

Ninh Thuan

19
20
21

Binh Thuan
Ba Ria Vung Tau
Ho Chi Minh

22

Tien Giang

23
24
25

Ben TreTra Vinh
Soc Trang

26
27

Bac Lieu
Ca Mau28

Kien Giang

Vinh Hy, Ninh Hai District
Nhon Hai, Ninh Hai District
Son Hai, Ninh Phuoc District
Cao Cat, Phu Quy District
Con Dao, Con Dao District
Thach An, Can Gio District
Ly Nhon, Can Gio District
Dong Hoa, Can Gio District
Vam Lang, Go Cong Dong District
Cua Tieu, Go Cong Dong District
Cua Ham Luong, An Thuy District
My Long, Cau Ngang District
Tran De, Long Phu District
Vinh Chau, Vinh Chau Town
Gianh Hao, Gianh Hao Town
Song Doc, Song Doc Town
Kinh Hoi, U Minh District
Hon Khoai, Ngoc Hien District
Hon Chuoi, Tran Van Thoi District
Military headquarters of Kien Giang
Nam Du, Kien Hai District
An Thoi, Phu Quoc District
Tho Chu, Phu Quoc District

2.2.2. During typhoon time
• Follow Four-On-Spot motto designed by the local government• Stay at home or safe evacuation place• Listen to the radio and watch TV for updating typhoon information• Save the energy of batteries, just use in absolutely necessary cases• Keep emergency kit with you at all times• Your family should be at the strongest room
• Take care of your family members• Cooperate and help your neighbors as well as friends
Pay no attention to rumors
During the calm eye, DO NOT venture outdoor, stay where you are, as
the other side of the typhoon is often more intense than before the eye
Stories: During the Xangsane typhoon, there
were thousands of injuries in Hoa Vang, Hoa
Cuong, Danang city. During the calm eye, theresidents thought that the typhoon had
stopped, thus they tried to fix the roofs.
However strong winds occurred with heavy
rain. Subsequently, they were injured by theiron roofs. Especially, in case of Mr Quach
Ngoc Liem, Vinh Trung ward, Thanh KheDistrict, when fixing his roof, he was fell down
by strong wind and he lost his life.

16

Do not ﬁx your roof when a typhoon has
not yet fully passed. Source: archi.vn

Fisherman’s

2.2.3. After the typhoon
Immediate actions after the typhoon• Stay indoor or in your shelter and wait for the all – clear announcement• Be aware of the likelihood of fallen power lines• Do not touch wet switches• Venture outside only when really necessary (remember to wear boots, helmets...)Do not touch wet switches. Source: chinhphu.vn••

Fallen power lines. Photo by Dat Viet

Make emergency repairsContinue listening to updated weather forecast

Activities after the typhoon 1 day• Clean – up activities• Keep listening to weather forecast• Recover necessary utilities and check before using them
• Pay careful attention to sanitation after the typhoon, ensure personal hygiene• Do not drink tap water until it has been checked for bacteria• Always eat well-cooked food• Write the experiences to prepare better for next typhoon

Inundation after typhoon
Photo by Vnexpress

Handbook

Do not use unsafe food.
Source: giadinh.net.vn

Drink well – water only when it issterilized. Photo by Dang Khoa

17

3. At SEA ACTIVITIES
3.1. Normal time

3.1.1. Update weather forecast
When typhoons or tropical low pressures occur in Vietnamese sea, Voice ofVietnam (VOV) will update weather information continuously through FM radio. Incase of tropical low pressures and oﬀshore typhoon, weather news will be
updated 4 times per day. In case of incoming typhoons or inshore tropical low
pressures, weather news will be updated 8 times per day. Besides, ﬁshermen can
update weather information through coastal stations.
Please check ( ) if you know the following radio stations
Name ofradio station

Frequency

Time of now-casting
Check
Weather forecast Typhoon forecast

Bach Long Vy

6920 KHz
5450 KHz

9h45 and 14h45

FM radio(594, 630, 648, 655, 666,
675, 690, 711) KHz(5975, 9530, 7210) KHz

Ho Chi Minhradio8294 KHz

9h and 19h

Danang radio

8294 KHz

7h30 and 19h30

Hai Phongradio8294 KHz

8h and 20h

9h45 and 14h45

Every 2 hours

Every odd hour

Every even hour

Message: When the ships are away from inland more than 100 sea
miles, the frequencies are 8291KHz and 12290 KHz and when theships are away from inland less than 100 sea miles, the frequencies
are 2182 KHz, 6215 KHz, 7903 KHz, 7906 KHz.

18

Fisherman’s

List of coastal stations in Vietnam is shown in table 5
Table 5: Coastal stations in Vietnam
No

Name of station

Frequency

Available time1

Mong Cai radio

85155 KHz

24 hours

2

Cua Ong radio

8143 KHz

24 hours

3

Hon Gai radio

8173 KHz

24 hours

Note12353 KHz
4

Hai Phong radio

6215 KHz

24 hours

8291 KHz
12290 KHz
5

Ben Thuy radio

8155 KHz

24 hours

6

Hue radio

8122 KHz

24 hours

7

Da Nang radio

6215 KHz
8291 KHz

24 hours

12290 KHz
8

Qui Nhon radio

8785 KHz

Hai Phong radio is
the information
processing center 1

Da Nang radio is
the information
processing center2

24 hours

8149 KHz
9

Nha Trang radio

6215 KHz

24 hours

8291 KHz
10

Ho Chi Minh radio

6215 KHz

24 hours

8291 KHz
12290 KHz
11

Vung Tau radio

12

Can Tho radio

8170 KHz

24 hours

13

Kien Giang radio

8158 KHz

24 hours

6522 KHz

Ho Chi Minh radiois the information
processing center 3

24 hours

8291 KHz

3.1.2. Daily check
Although typhoons do not occur however, every member of ﬁshing ﬂeet should
check the quality and quantity of necessary equipment in the ship (as shown insection 2.1.2) and update weather forecast frequently as well as observe thechanges of sea surface, sky to predict weather condition.
Conduct emergency drills often in order to improve the core skills of all
crewmembers (as shown section 2.1.5).

Handbook

19

3.2. Typhoon time

3.2.1. Before the typhoon
Once ﬁshermen receive early warning of typhoons or tropical depressions, theyshould do the following activities timely:
Know the current position of the ship in order to determine which way tosteer
Prepare to collect nets, in case of oﬀshore catching, collect nets immediately
Just steer your ship to come back only when the time is enough, if not ﬁnd
the closest places for sheltering
Observe typhoon signal-gun
Prepare for landfall because safe landfalls require good preparation,
especially at night
Update weather forecast continuously
Check the necessary kit and every crewmember must prepare forcontingencies
Have a thorough understanding of typhoon center, direction, distance
between your ship and typhoon centerCollect your nets, in emergency case, you must cut the nets
The core means of communication must be always available for updating
weather information and rescue
Inform all your colleagues’ ships about typhoons or tropical depressions andclosely contact themWear lifejacket when strong winds occur, not only in typhoon time
Places for sheltering
If your ship cannot make landfall, these are places for sheltering
Table 6: Places for sheltering
Provinces/Cities

Address

Quang Ninh
Hai PhongThai Binh
Ninh Binh
Thanh Hoa
Nghe AnHa TinhQuang Binh
Quang Tri
Thua Thien Hue
Da NangQuang Nam

Van Don (Van Don district); Co To island; Tien Yen (Tien Yen District)
Ha Long (Cat Hai District), Bach Long Vy island
Diem Lo seaport, Tra Ly, Ninh Co
Day river mouth (Kim Son district)
Lach Truong (Hau Loc District); Lach Hoi (Sam Son town)
Lach Con (Quynh Luu District)
Cua Sot (Thanh Ha District), Cua Nghi Xuan (Cam Xuyen District)
Giang river mouth (Bo Trach District), Cua Hon La (Quang Trach District)
Cua Tung (Vinh Linh District), Cua Viet (Gio Linh District)
Phu Thuan, Thuan An seaport (Phu Vang District), Cau Hai (Phu Loc)
Tho Quang (Son Tra District), Han river mouth
Cua Dai sea mouth (Hoi An town), An Hoa (Nui Thanh District), Cu Lao
Cham (Duy Xuyen District)
Sa Ky, Co Luy (Tu Ngia District), My A (Duc Pho District), Ly Son island(Dao Ly Son District)
Tam Quan river mouth (Hoai Nhon District), Dam De Gi (Phu Cat District),
Dam Thi Nai (Quy Nhon Town)

Quang Ngai
Binh Dinh

20

Fisherman’sPhu Yen
Khanh Hoa
Ninh Thuan
Binh Thuan
Ho Chi Minh
Ba Ria – Vung Tau
Tien Giang
Ben TreTra Vinh
Soc Trang
Bac Lieu
Ca MauKien Giang
In emergency cases,ﬁshermen cancontact with
Chinese oﬃcials for
sheltering

Xuan Dai Bay, Dam Cu Mong, Vung Ro
Da Tay island (Truong Sa District), Cua Be Song Tac-Hon Ro (Nha Trangtown), Cam Ranh Bay (Da Bac)
Cai river mouth (Phan Rang town), Ninh Chu (Ninh Hai District)
La Gi, Ba Dang river mouth (Ham Tan District), Phu Quy island (Tuy Phong
District), Mui Ne (Phan Thiet town)
Song Dinh and Dinh Ba (Can Gio District)
Dinh river mouth, Con Son (Con Dao District), Ghenh Rai Bay
Soai Rap river mouth ( Go Cong Dong District)Cua Dai (Binh Thang commune, Binh Dai District), Cua Ba Lai, Cua Ham
Luong, Cua Co Chien
Vam Hau, Cua Cung Hau, Cua Dinh An
Cua Tran De, Kenh Ba – Long Phu
Cua Ganh Hao, Cua Cai Cungf, Cua Nha Mat
Ong Doc river mouth, Cu Bo De, Cai Doi Vam, Cua Khanh Hoi, Cua Hon
Khoai, Cua Rach Guoc (Ngoc Hien District)
Cua Song Cai Lon – Cai Be, Hon Tre island, Mui Ganh Dau, Cua To Chau
Khoi Thuy ﬁsh port, Loi Chau town, Quang Dong province
Nam van ﬁsh port, Bai Hai city, Quang Tay
Bat So ﬁsh port, Duong Pho ﬁsh port, Dong Phuong Town, Hai Nam
province

Anchor safely in typhoon time
When typhoons or tropical depressions occur, if ships are not anchored properly,
they can be damaged due to strong collisions among ships or ranging waves. In
order to reduce the damages, the ﬁshermen are required to follow these guides:
Anchoring in a port without wharf• Ship should be perpendicular to the pier, the stern is directed towards
the pier• Do not position the ship in parallel to the pier because surging tides may
strike the freeboard and damage the ship.
Keep tires or elastic stuﬀs along the freeboard to reduce strong bumps among
the ships
If there is no typhoon prevention dock available, ﬁnd a place sheltered fromthe wind and anchor
Anchoring technical requirement (Look at
the ﬁgure 2 for more details)• Use hall anchors for steel coverships• Use nautical anchors for wooden
cover ships
Ships with tires at Ly Son island.
Photo by vovnews.vn

Handbook21

See the ﬁgure for more details
Shore

Shore

Ligament

Ligament

Buffers

Anchor lines

United lines

Anchor lines

Figure 2: Anchoring safely

Personal survival techniques
Once typhoons occur, the ﬁshermen may face dangerous situations, for instance,
the ship is turned over, sunk or even broken. Thus personal survival skills are very
important to save one’s life.
Step 1:• Wear warm clothing, if possible wear an immersion suit
• Put on the lifejacket• Prepare food and drink for the crew
• Keep a whistle to make attention of Search and Rescue ship and others
Step 2:• Release the lashings• Launch the raft
• Put the raft alongside so that the crew can board dry• Put the prepared food, drink to the raft
• Cut the painter when everyone is aboard• At times the life-raft can be destroyed, the ﬁshermen have to get oﬀ theraft/ship or accidentally, ﬁshermen may fall overboard, thus they need toprotect themselves from the decrease of body temperature like below:• Do not swim unless you are very close to safe place• If on your own, ﬂoat as still as possible in the water with your knees
raised up into your chest and hands tucked under your lifejacket
If two or more people are in the water together, form a huddle so that the sidesof your bodies are close together

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Fisherman’s

3.2.2. During typhoon time
How to escape from a typhoon
When the distance between a ship and the typhoon center is more than 200 nauticalmiles• If the ship is on the right of the typhoon path or tropical depression
movement, the captain must steer into the opposite way of the winddirection. At that time, the wind will blow to the prow of the ship, thedegree of askew angle depends on the capacity of the ship. As shown inﬁgure 3, the ship is moving towards North-North East direction• If the ship is on the left of or in the same way as the typhoon path or
tropical depression movement, the captain must steer in the same way of
the wind direction. At that time, the wind will blow to the stern. As shownin ﬁgure 3, the ship is moving towards South-South West direction• Note: when steering a ship away from a typhoon or tropical depression,
the captain must always keep the distance between the ship and typhoon
center in the range of at least 350-400 kilometers (about 200 nautical
miles).

Movement direction of typhoon or tropical depression
Movement direction of ship
Figure 3: Steering ship from typhoons, tropical depressions

When the distance between the ship and typhoon center is less than 200 nautical miles• The captain must be self controlled, concentrate to steering the ship far fromthe typhoon center as quickly as possible• When the ship is in the right-half circle of typhoon/tropical depression, steer
opposite with the wind direction in that way, the wind will blow to the prow
and the degree of askew angle will be about 30-45° (like position 1 and 2 ofﬁgure 4), keep steering that way until the ship escapes from dangerous radius• When the ship is in the left-half circle of typhoon/tropical depression, steer
the same way of the wind direction in that way, the wind will blow to theprow and the degree of askew angle will be about 30-45° (as position 3 ofﬁgure 4), keep steering that way until you realize that the wind directionchanges into Southern, at that time the ship escapes from dangerous radius(as position 4 of ﬁgure 4)

Handbook

23

(1)

(2)

(3)

(4)

Typhoon center
Wind direction
Movement direction of ship

Figure 4: How to escape typhoon center region

Steering the ship in case of strong winds and high waves• In the areas close to the typhoon center, the wind is very strong andwaves are high. In order to reduce the power of waves, the ﬁshermen
should throw heavy and unnecessary stuﬀ from the deck into the sea tokeep the balance of the ship
• Steer the ship in a direction where the angle of the winds compared to
the freeboard of ship is about 30-45°• Do not steer the ship in the direction of wave trough, otherwise the ship
may be turned over easily• In any case, do not stop steering and letting the ship follow the directionof the wind, otherwise the ship will get closer to typhoon center• When steering, control the movement direction of ship and wave at theright side to make an angle of 150-160° (as position A of ﬁgure) or at theleft side 20-30° (as position B of ﬁgure 5)

20-30°
150-160°

A

B

Figure 5: Steering ship to prevent from high waves
A: towards the waves B: against the waves• If the captain wants to change the movement direction of the ship, he has
to change at the time when the vessel lies in the wave trough24

Fisherman’s

Contact for help
In stressful situations during typhoon time, the ﬁshermen can contact with Searchand Rescue (SAR) Centers, coastal stations and other ships for help
* Contact coastal stations: Names and frequencies of coastal stations are shown intable 5 of section 3.1.1
Contact regulation: call out the coastal name and your ship’s nameless than 3 times with 3 following detailed information:• Number of ship and registered place• Time when accident happened• Location of your ship when accident happened• Do not use the frequency of coastal stations tocommunicate information amongst the ships

Handbook25

* Contact SAR Centers: There are 3 SAR Centers and 1 SAR station in Vietnam,
through channel 16 HF, frequency
Table 7: Information of SAR Center
SAR Center

Contact Number

Address

SAR region 1+84.31.3795503

22 Ngo Quyen street, May Chai ward,
Ngo Quyen District, Hai Phong CitySAR region 2+84.511.3924957

Vung Da Den, Tho Quang, Son Tra
District, Da Nang CitySAR region 3+84.64.3856906

115/45, 30th April Street, 11 ward,
Vung Tau City

Truong Sa+84.58.3590689

44 Tran Phu Street, Vinh Nguyenward, Nha Trang City

Check

If the ﬁshermen cannot contact SAR forces, they can contact the friends’ ships
and/or border stations.
Deal with hole
Hole can occur due to collisions between the ships and reef, thus knowing how todeal with the hole is extremely necessary, particularly during typhoon time. The
following methods will help ﬁshermen deal with the hole or slow down the sinking
speed of the ship
Big ships:• Close all the doors connected with the sea• Open pump machine to pump water from ship to sea• Fix the hole
• If the hole is too big and cannot be ﬁxed, all members must go to thedeck, wear lifejacket, launch life-raft and prepare for abandoning ship
Small ships:• Change the position of heavy stuﬀs far from the hole
• Fix the hole, concurrently pump water to sea• Just keep the really necessary stuﬀs, the rest should be thrown to sea,even some ﬁshermen must wear lifejackets and jump to sea and the rest
must try to ﬁx as quickly as possible
Fixing technique:• Use canvas, scraps of fabric as ﬁne as possible, wood to stop the holefrom outside• Use thin planks and plastic bags, scraps to stop the hole from inside• Use dau rai or adhesive to ﬁll the hole

26

Fisherman’s

Make SOS signals
When the communication equipment is destroyed or your crew must stay inlife-raft...the SOS signals are very useful for attracting attention of SAR ships andsurrounding ships• Use torches (ﬂashlights) or mirrors for attention• Make a ﬁre safely• Use whistles or ring the bell to make noise
3.2.3. After the typhoon
When you are still at sea:
Continue contacting SAR forces, friends’ ships and making SOS signals
Use “personal survival techniques” in section 2.1.4
If your ship is in safe condition, support SAR force to help other ships
When you are at safe place inland, follow the guides in section 2.2.3
Experiences of facing emergency cases at sea-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Handbook27

Experiences of facing emergency cases at sea------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

28

Fisherman’s

Summary
Make sure that after reading this handbook, you still remember the key parts

INLAND

Updateweather
information

Regulations
before thevoyageConduct
emergency
drillsAT SEA

Coastalstations

Handbook

Escape fromthe typhoon

Anchoring
techniques

Personal
survivaltechniques

29

Further information
Some guides and information in this handbook are based on the following sources:
In Vietnamese
1. The decree 66/2005/NĐ-CP of Vietnamese government announced theregulations of ensuring safety for ﬁshing vessel and people working in thevesselhttp://www.thuvienphapluat.vn/archive/Nghi-dinh/Nghi-dinh-66-2010-N
D-CP-Quy-che-phoi-hop-quan-ly-nha-nuoc-vb107303t11.aspx
2. Circular 02/2007/TT-BTS of Vietnamese government
http://www.sonongnghiep.binhthuan.gov.vnimage/news/thong%20tu%2
002_2007_TT-BTS _hdan%20nd66.doc
3. Handbook for coping with disasters of Ho Chi Minh City
(http://www.phongchonglutbaotphcm.gov.vn/?id=43)
4. Indigenous knowledge of typhoon and tropical depressions in website ofHydrometeorology of Vietnam
http://www.thoitietnguyhiem.net/ttnh/ttnh.aspx?page=1
In English
5. European handbook for the prevention of accidents at sea and the safetyof ﬁshermen. Initiative of the social partners of the sea ﬁshing sector
co-ﬁnanced by the European Union, May 2007.
www.bim.ie/uploads/text_content/docs/LR-Pages-EN.pdf
6. The health of ﬁshermen in the catching of the ﬁshing industry: a gap
analysis. C. Mathesion, S. Morrison, E. Murphy, T. Lawrie, L. Ritchie and C.
Bond. Occup. Med. Vol 51 No.5, pp. 305-311, 2001.
http://occmed.oxfordjournals.org/cgi/reprint/51/5/305.pdf

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Fisherman’s