HANOI: Two people were killed and thousands of homes damaged as Vietnam's coast was lashed by Typhoon Son-Tinh (local name: Ofel), authorities said on Monday, after the storm caused deadly landslides and floods in the Philippines.

Strong winds destroyed large tracts of crops, brought down power lines and ripped the roofs off houses after Son-Tinh, which has been downgraded to a tropical depression, made landfall in the north of  Vietnam on Sunday.

Two people were confirmed killed, while two others were missing, an official from the National Committee on Flood and Storm Control in Hanoi told Agence France-Presse, adding that it was the biggest typhoon to hit Vietnam since the start of the storm season, with wind speeds of up to 140 kilometers (87 miles) per hour.

The wind also felled a 180-meter television tower, the tallest in northern Vietnam, in Nam Dinh City, according to state-run Tuoi Tre newspaper.

Vietnam is hit by an average of eight to 10 tropical storms every year just like the Philippines, often causing heavy material and human losses.

More than 50,000 people were evacuated in preparation for the bad weather, while authorities imposed a sea ban in some areas and dozens of domestic flights were cancelled.

Son-Tihn left a total of 27 people dead and nine missing in the Philippines after it tore down trees and caused flash floods and landslides, just a week past, according to figures from the government's civil defense office on Monday.