The typhoon made landfall in Hai Phong and Quang Ninh provinces, packing winds exceeding 149 kilometres (92 miles) per hour, VNExpress said, after blowing past southern China where it killed two people.

In Hai Phong, metal roof sheets and commercial sign boards were seen flying across the city sky as the typhoon hit.

"It has been years since I witnessed a typhoon this big," said Tran Thi Hoa, a 48-year-old woman from Hai Phong.

"It was scary. I stayed indoors, after locking all my windows. However, the sound of the wind and the rain was unbelievable," she told AFP.

The typhoon hit Vietnam after killing at least two people and injuring 92 others on southern China's Hainan island.

State broadcaster CCTV said Yagi brought winds of more than 230 kilometres (143 miles) per hour, uprooting trees and prompting the evacuation of around 460,000 people.

Southern China is frequently hit by typhoons in the summer and autumn, which form in the warm oceans east of the Philippines and Thailand.

Typhoons in the region are now forming closer to the coast, intensifying more rapidly, and staying over land for longer due to climate change, according to a study published in July.