Typhoon Kalmaegi, Asia's most powerful tropical storm this year, makes landfall in Vietnam with winds of up to 92 mph
Kalmaegi killed at least 114 people and drowned entire towns in the Philippines, where it hit initially
Vietnam - already battling record rains and floods - has got more than 260,000 of its soldiers on standby for rescue efforts
Six airports in the country have been forced to close - hundreds of flights will be affected, the government warns
Calling Kalmaegi a "very abnormal" storm, Vietnam's Deputy PM Tran Hong Ha urges local officials to treat it with urgency
Watch: Cars pile up on Philippines streets after floods
Image source, Anadolu via Getty ImagesFatigues rescue workers take a break
Image source, ReutersDestruction in Cebu Province, Philippines
Image source, AFP via Getty ImagesThe clean up begins at a hotel in Vietnam
Image source, EPARescue efforts in central Philippines
Image source, EPAFamilies take shelter at a sports complex
Hurricanes are tropical storms that form over the North Atlantic Ocean and Northeast Pacific.
Cyclones are formed over the South Pacific and Indian Ocean.
Typhoons are formed over the Northwest Pacific Ocean.
Collectively, these storms are referred to as tropical cyclones.
Tropical cyclones are characterised by very high wind speeds, heavy rainfall, and storm surges - short-term rises to sea-levels. This often causes widespread damage and flooding.
They begin as atmospheric disturbances, external - such as, for example, a tropical wave, an area of low pressure where thunderstorms and clouds develop.
As warm, moist air rises from the ocean surface, winds begin to spin. The process is linked to how the Earth's rotation affects winds in tropical regions just away from the equator.
Sen Nguyen
Reporting from Bangkok
Vietnam's military has deployed more than 260,000 soldiers and personnel, along with over 6,700 vehicles and pieces of equipment, including six aircraft, to help with storm relief efforts.
All units are on standby for search and rescue operations in response to the typhoon.
Viettel, a military-owned conglomerate, has also announced that it will support the rescue efforts using fly-cams - technology that remains uncommon in Vietnam's disaster relief operations.
The Vietnamese government's online portal is sharing figures about the typhoon's windspeeds when it made landfall a little earlier.
It says there were maximum sustained winds of up to 92 mph (149 km/h).
Sen Nguyen
Reporting from Bangkok
Image source, DAU TIEN DAT/EPA/ShutterstockPeople watched waves crashing on a central Vietnam beach as the typhoon approached earlier today
The Vietnamese national weather forecaster says hundreds of localities in seven cities and provinces are at risk of flooding and landslides in the next six hours, according to a notice issued earlier today.
There have already been reports of damage from several provinces, including roofs torn off homes, shattered glass panels at hotels, and trees uprooted or snapped along city streets and rural roads by powerful gusts.
Typhoon Kalmaegi has just hit Vietnam's coastline, bringing winds of up to 149 kilometres (92 miles) per hour, according to reports in online Vietnamese newspaper VnExpress.
Trees have fallen on main roads, blocking access, while windows in hotels in the Quy Non area have smashed.
"The storm is on land, in the provinces of Dak Lak and Gia Lai," the environment ministry has said in a statement being quoted by various outlets, including the AFP news agency.
Typhoon Kalmaegi has made landfall in central Vietnam.
Stick with us, we'll bring you the latest in our next few posts.
Here are some more pictures of what's happening in Cebu City, in The Philippines, which was hit by Typhoon Kalmaegi after it swept the Central Visayas region.
Emergency responders are continuing to work to find survivors at the site of a landslide, caused by the heavy rains.
Mud has swept through buildings including branches of McDonalds, where workers are trying to shift the deluge.
Image source, EPA
Image source, Reuters
Matt Taylor
BBC Weather
Typhoon Kalmaegi may be hitting an area much further south than those affected by Typhoon Ragasa in September, but heavy rains in central Vietnam have not only caused extensive flooding in recent weeks - it's left the ground saturated and rivers high.
Further rainfall will likely lead to more flood impacts quite rapidly.
Forecasts predict between 200-400mm of rain to fall, with high resolution weather computer models hinting at the possibility of up to 600mm in a few spots.
The remnants of the storm could also impact parts of Cambodia and eastern Thailand as it moves inland over the coming days.
Forecasts of up to 150mm or rain are possible in parts of northern Cambodia and parts of Surin, Si Sa Ket and Ubon Ratchatani in Thailand.
Watch: Vietnam braces to be battered by Typhoon Kalmaegi
Image source, ReutersAhead of Typhoon Kalmaegi's arrival, it's worth noting that Vietnam has already been battling with floods and record rains this week.
Burst riverbanks have flooded some of the country's most popular tourist spots, including the Unesco-listed city of Hue and historic hotspot Hoi An - where residents have been pictured navigating the city via wooden boats after the Hoai river overflowed.
At least 35 people have been killed in the deluge, according to a recent statement from the national disaster agency. Vietnam's environment ministry also says more than 100,000 homes have been flooded and more than 150 landslides reported.
According to local media reports, PM Pham Minh Chinh held an online meeting to direct the emergency response.
"We must reach isolated areas and ensure people have food, drinking water, and essential supplies. No one should be left hungry or cold," he's cited as saying.
Sen Nguyen
Reporting from Bangkok
Seaside communities in Vietnam are expected to be hit hard.
A sea-level rise of 4 to 6m (13 to 20ft) in at least two provinces could capsize boats and devastate fishing farms, according to a forecast issued at 16:00 local time (9:00 GMT) by a senior official at Vietnam’s National Center for Hydro-Meteorological Forecasting.
Meanwhile, deputy director Nguyen Xuan Hien says Typhoon Damrey - which struck Vietnam in 2017 with less intensity than Kalmaegi, but still caused severe damage to coastal communities - should serve as a warning, urging people to remain highly alert.
Thailand is also bracing for the storm's impact. Local officials have warned of flash floods, landslides and river overflows.
Typhoon Kalmaegi is the 20th tropical cyclone to hit the Philippines this year.
As those in Vietnam now brace for its impact, let's take a look at its trajectory.
We've an update on flights in Vietnam - something we reported on a little earlier.
The country's government now says six airports in total have been told to close, ahead of the storm making landfall.
In the statement, officials say the closure of five in particular will affect hundreds of flights in Vietnam. They are:
The typhoon is expected to land just north of the coastal city of Quy Nhon, where thousands of people have been ordered to evacuate.
Earlier today, a reporter from AFP news agency saw officials knocking on doors and warning people to flee.
Some 100,000 households have been evacuated from the neighbouring province of Gia Lai, as of noon local time (05:00 GMT).
As of a couple of hours ago, local authorities urged those who haven't evacuated to stay indoors.
More than 50 flights in Vietnam have been cancelled or rescheduled, according to national flag carrier Vietnam Airlines.
About eight airports in the central region, including the international airport in Da Nang, have either suspended operations or are preparing to do so, aviation authorities say.
We'll bring more on this we we have it.
Before making landfall in Vietnam, Kalmaegi left a trail of devastation in the Philippines - and at least 114 people dead.
Philippines President Ferdinand Marcos Jr has declared a state of emergency - the threshold of which involves mass casualty, major damage to property, and disruption to means of livelihoods and the normal way of life for people in the affected areas.
The typhoon, known locally as Tino, ripped through the populous island of Cebu, submerging entire towns and sweeping cars through the streets. Tens of thousands of people have been evacuated, others are resting in shelters.
Here are some of the latest images we're seeing:
Image source, EPA/ShutterstockEmergency responders work on retrieving a body at the site of a landslide in Cebu City
Image source, Getty ImagesKalmaegi has displaced more than 400,000 in the Philippines
Image source, ReutersStreets are covered in mud and images show piles of cars
Image source, Getty ImagesWaves crash onto Vietnam's Quy Nhon beach ahead of the storm's arrival
Typhoon Kalmaegi passed through the Philippines on Thursday, and is now barrelling towards central Vietnam with increasing windspeeds.
It is expected to make landfall imminently, bringing waves of up to 8m (26 ft), according to Vietnam's weather bureau.
Thousands of people who live in coastal communities have been asked to evacuate, and Deputy Prime Minister Tran Hong Ha has urged local officials to treat the storm with urgency.
The AFP news agency says officials are knocking on doors and warning people to flee.
We will bring you live updates as we get them. Stay with us.