Typhoon Doksuri was battering the central provinces of Vietnam with strong winds and heavy rains on Friday, causing electricity outages, blowing off roofs and felling trees.
The South China Sea storm hit the north central coastal provinces from Nghe An to Quang Tri at around 10 am on Friday with wind speeds up to 135 kilometres per hour (kph), according to a weather report from Vietnam's meteorological agency.
Some 400 millimetres of rain are expected to soak the Vietnamese coastline, with flooding and landslides feared. The northern region and the capital Hanoi are likely to receive rainfall between 200 and 300mm.
Authorities have evacuated nearly 80,000 people and called on almost 71,000 fishing boats with nearly 300,000 fisherman on board to dock at ports, according to Vietnam's National Steering Centre for Natural Disaster Prevention and Control.
Sixty domestic flights by Vietnam Airlines, VietJet Air and Jetstar Pacific have been cancelled.
There were no official reports of casualties as of 0500 GMT, but one man was swept away while trying to cross a swollen stream on Thursday. His body was found later the same day.
Authorities have warned of flash floods and landslides in the country's northern and central regions after the typhoon had passed.
Doksuri is the third tropical storm to hit Vietnam this year.
Last year, tropical storms and flooding killed 264 people in Vietnam and caused damage worth nearly $1.75bn, nearly five times more than in 2015.
![People recover motorbikes from a flooded fields while the Doksuri storm hits in Ha Tinh province, Vietnam on Friday. People recover motorbikes from a flooded fields while the Doksuri storm hits in Ha Tinh province, Vietnam on Friday.](https://www.gulf-times.com/uploads/imported_images/Upload/Slider/9201715105944930095761.jpg)
People recover motorbikes from a flooded fields while the Doksuri storm hits in Ha Tinh province, Vietnam on Friday.