A woman walks on a street in heavy rain and strong wind in Haikou, south China's Hainan province, July 18, 2014.
Authorities in Vietnam are stepping up emergency preparations for super typhoon Rammasun, which is expected to hit land Saturday near Halong Bay.
The storm continues to gain strength after killing scores of people in the northern Philippines and several in China.
Authorities in Vietnam's port of Halong Bay have ordered all off-shore fishing vessels to come back to port and take shelter, and have told the owners of 9,000 boats in the harbor to secure their vessels.
They have also reinforced dams and flushed dikes. The flushing of dikes aims to reduce flooding from the heavy rains.
Earlier in the week the powerful storm killed dozens of people as it passed through the Philippines. After regaining strength over the South China Sea, typhoon Rammasun slammed southern China on Friday where authorities said it was the worst storm to hit in 40 years.
With winds of more than 200 kilometers per hour, Rammasun hit the southern Chinese island of Hainan on its way to the province of Guangdong.
The official Xinhua news agency says more than 26,000 people were evacuated on Hainan ahead of the storm. China's National Meteorological Center issued its highest "red alert."
The storm was expected to bring violent winds, high waves and torrential rain to southern China, where dozens already had been killed by floods in recent days.
Rammasun, which means "God of Thunder" in Thai, killed at least 40 people as it cut a path through the northern Philippines this week.
Millions in the capital, Manila, and surrounding areas remain without power, as downed power lines and trees continue blocking roadways in many areas.
Typhoon Rammasun Ravages the Philippines
1/12Residents charge their mobile phones with electricity from generators provided for free by the government, during a blackout inside a town hall, after Typhoon Rammasun battered the town of Rosario, Cavite city, south of Manila, July 18, 2014.
2/12People gather at the waterfront of Hong Kong's Victoria Harbor, July 17, 2014.
3/12Chinese coast guards patrol on a boat as ships are docked in the port before the landfall of Typhoon Rammasun, at a port in Haikou, Hainan, province July 17, 2014.
4/12A man climbs on a fallen tree which damaged four houses in Rosario, July 18, 2014.
5/12A resident queues with plastic containers to collect drinking water in Rosario, July 18, 2014.
6/12Residents lift a house damaged by Typhoon Rammasun in Batangas city, south of Manila, July 17, 2014.
7/12A young boy turns to look at the camera as residents repair a roofless stilt house damaged by Typhoon Rammasun in Batangas city, south of Manila, July 17, 2014.
8/12A child sits amid the remains of a house destroyed by Typhoon Rammasun in Batangas city, south of Manila, July 17, 2014.
9/12A small girl rests on a school desk inside an evacuation center after Typhoon Rammasun battered the coastal bay of Baseco compound, metro Manila, July 16, 2014.
10/12A man uses a chain saw to remove a huge tree that fell on top of a car during the onslaught of Typhoon Rammasun that hit Makati City in Manila, July 16, 2014.
11/12Squatter homes partially destroyed by Typhoon Rammasun in the coastal town of Bacoor, Cavite, southwest of Manila, July 16, 2014.
12/12Fishing boats amid heavy winds and rain brought by Typhoon Rammasun (locally named Glenda) as it hit the town of Imus, Cavite southwest of Manila, July 16, 2014.
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