Nearly a million people in southern Vietnam face evacuation from the path of a deadly tropical storm sweeping in from the South China Sea.
A general view of the flooded Municipality of Kabacan, North Cotabato, on the southern island of Mindanao on December 23, 2017, after Tropical Storm Tembin dumped torrential rains across the island. Photo: AFP
The national disaster prevention committee said more than 70,000 people had been moved from low-lying areas.
Tembin, now downgraded to a storm from a typhoon, killed at least 240 people and left 75,000 homeless in the Philippines.
Rescuers are searching for more than 100 people still missing.
Bridges and roads on the island of Mindanao were destroyed or blocked by landslides. while nearly 1,000 houses were wrecked and many rice fields washed away.
In Vietnam, the government ordered oil rigs and vessels to be secured and warned that about 62,000 fishing boats should not go out to sea, Reuters news agency reports.
"Vietnam must ensure the safety of its oil rigs and vessels," Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc was quoted as saying. "If necessary, close the oil rigs and evacuate workers."
In the southern province of Bac Lieu, residents from a fishing village were moved to different schools that have been turned into shelters.
Visiting the region, Deputy Prime Minister Trinh Dinh Dung said: "We need to concentrate on safeguarding the lives and property of our people."
Heavy rain and strong winds could cause serious damage in the area in the storm's path as buildings are vulnerable to extreme weather conditions.
Saripada L Pacasum, a disaster management expert in the Philippine province of Lanao del Sur, told the BBC that although warnings had been given, people were surprised by the strength of the storm.
"We frequently get this kind of weather, but this one is quite different - it's a lot stronger," he said.
"So far as my experience [goes] this is the strongest we've experienced. And then the water rose up very quickly."
- BBC
