Vietnam dodges damage after typhoon exacts heavy toll on Philippines

A storm that battered the Philippines killing more than 230 people in floods and landslides lost its power on Tuesday as it passed over Vietnam where hundreds of thousands had taken cover.

Vietnam, like the Philippines, is regularly battered by typhoons that form over the warm waters of the Pacific and barrel westwards onto land.

The storm entered Vietnamese waters but weakened to a tropical depression and did not cause any casualties, the disaster prevention committee said.

The government had ordered that oil rigs and vessels be protected and it warned that about 62,000 fishing boats should not venture out to sea.