Thousands of people in Vietnam have been told to leave their homes ahead of the arrival of Tropical Storm Durian.
At least 12 people have died as Tropical Storm Durian lashes Vietnam, sweeping away fishing boats, destroying houses and downing power lines.
The storm, which has been downgraded from a typhoon, is due to make landfall in central Vietnam.
Officials said 10 died in the southern Ba Ria Vung Tau province when the storm made landfall.
In Khanh Hoa and Ninh Thuan provinces, police moved people from high-risk areas and schools were closed.
Durian is currently crossing the Mekong Delta, which as a low-lying area is at high-risk of flooding.
The storm caused devastation in the Philippines, triggering mudslides which engulfed entire villages and left hundreds of people dead.
The same storm caused devastation in the Philippines, triggering mudslides which killed hundreds.
The official toll from the mudslides, which struck near the Mayon volcano south-east of Manila, stands at 450 people. Another 599 are still missing.
The official toll from the mudslides, which struck near the Mayon volcano south-east of Manila and engulfed villages, stands at 450 people. Another 599 are still missing.
Philippine President Gloria Arroyo has declared a national calamity.
Forcible evacuation
'Don't believe it'
The BBC's Bill Hayton, in Hanoi, says the government's decision to authorise local authorities to take all the means necessary to move people from the path of the storm may have saved lives.
Vietnam is now braced for Durian's arrival.
But, he says, though thousands left voluntarily, many were forcibly removed from their homes.
Relief and clean-up operations are continuing in the Philippines
He says it is highly unusual for southern Vietnam to experience such a storm in the month of December.
In Khanh Hoa, nearly 14,000 people have been moved from their homes and another 10,000 ordered to leave, the Associated Press news agency reported.
Communication with the island of Phu Quay, some 250km (150 miles) east of Ho Chi Minh City, had been lost, officials said.
Ships were being called back to shore, although two fishermen were reported to have died after their boats sank while they were seeking shelter.
Over 1,000 homes were damaged and more than 800 fishing boats swept away from their anchors on the island, according to the Associated Press.
Another 6,000 people have been evacuated from neighbouring provinces Ninh Thuan and Phu Yen, but Ninh Thuan Governor Hoang Thi Ut Lan said some of those ordered out had returned home.
"Many people who were moved have decided to go back to their houses because it's still sunny," she told AP. "It is really a problem for us now."
The BBC's Bill Hayton in Hanoi says that many people have simply refused to believe that a storm is coming.
Southern Vietnam experiences fewer storms and typhoons than the rest of the country, and it is also extremely unusual for big storms to arrive in December.
But our correspondent says the government is taking no chances - local leaders have been warned that they will personally carry the responsibility for any unnecessary deaths and injuries in their areas.
The government is working to improve safety procedures after dozens of fishermen were killed by Typhoon Chanchu in May this year.
