Rammasun made its first landfall in Quang Ninh’s Mong Cai city, uprooting 100 big trees, toppling power lines, and causing widespread blackouts.

Phung Ngoc Phong, director of the provincial power company, said all southern parts of Quang Ninh were without electricity.

The province had devised a back-up plan, but tin roofs ripped off houses and fallen trees seriously damaged the power transmission system, he said.

Clean-up efforts undereay after Rammasun travelled past Mong Cai city.

In Cai Rong township of Van Don district, damaging winds gusting more than 100km/h brought down trees and tore off house roofs. All shops had been reinforced and shut.

The Van Don district hospital received three local residents who fell down when reinforcing their houses at the height of the storm. The hospital has set up mobile teams to respond to first-aid services if necessary.

Rammasun, the second to hit the East Sea this year, was forecast to batter northern coastal provinces on July 19.

The typhoon prompted an evacuation of nearly 30,000 people, including 13,300 in Quang Ninh, 10,400 in Haiphong, and 4,500 in Thai Binh.

Weather experts said heavy rain could trigger flash floods and landslides in low-lying mountainous areas of Bac Kan, Lang Son, Quang Ninh, Ha Giang, Lao Cai, Yen Bai and Lai Chau provices.

Rain began falling in capital Hanoi. Strong winds prevented cars and motorcycles hitting the road. Heavy rain is expected in the evening.

The city has put more than 3,500 industrial pumps of various types at over 1,000 pumping stations on standby in the event of flooding. It completed trimming age-old trees on major streets on July 18 ahead of the storm.