HANOI, Sept. 14 (Xinhua) -- Super typhoon Mangkhut is likely to directly affect Vietnam's northern and central regions from Sept. 17, causing heavy rain in two days, the country's National Center for Hydro-Meteorological Forecasting said on Friday.

The possibility of Mangkhut hitting Vietnam's northern region and the two central provinces of Thanh Hoa and Nghe An is 70-80 percent, the center said, adding that when the typhoon makes landfall, sea waves can be 4-6 meters high.

Hanoi should consider temporarily closing its two long bridges, Vinh Tuy and Nhat Tan, to ensure the safety amid the typhoon, a center official said.

In the worst scenario, heavy rain will cause floods in the northern region. Flash floods and landslides may occur in the three northern provinces of Son La, Hoa Binh and Lao Cai.

Natural disasters, mostly typhoons, floods and landslides, killed or left missing 153 people and injured 119 others, and caused property losses of over 7,000 billion Vietnamese dong (304.3 million U.S. dollars) in the first eight months of this year, according to Vietnam's Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development.?