Tropical storm Wipha was set to cross Vietnam's northern coastline on Tuesday morning, with almost 350,000 soldiers on standby as the state weather agency forecast up to 50 cm (20 inches) of rainfall that could cause flooding and mudslides.

Vietnam braced for Typhoon Wipha on Monday as coastal provinces were placed on emergency alert and airlines canceled flights ahead of the storm’s expected landfall early Tuesday.

PANO - On July 21, the General Staff of the Vietnam People’s Army sent a dispatch to all agencies and units in the military to carry out comprehensive measures to respond to typhoon Wipha.

People across Asia have been battling blustery gales, landslides, flooding and heavy rain after Storm Wipha caused havoc across the region. Vietnam is the latest country set to brace for the extreme weather after the tropical storm battered Hong Kong,

The thunderstorm came so suddenly that it overturned the boat within seconds, said two survivors of the shipwreck which killed at least 35 people in Vietnam's top tourist spot of Halong Bay and left another four missing.

Storm No. 3, internationally known as Typhoon Wipha, passed north of China’s Leizhou Peninsula on the morning of July 21 and entered the northern Gulf of Tonkin, posing a growing threat to Vietnam’s northern and north-central coastal regions,

The death toll from a tourist boat accident in Vietnam’s Halong Bay climbed to at least 38 with several people still missing, the government said, as rescuers continued to search for survivors while bracing for the approach of Typhoon Wipha.

VOV.VN - As Typhoon Wipha is moving closer to northern Vietnam, airlines have canceled or adjusted multiple domestic and international flights to ensure passenger and crew safety.