HANOI - TROPICAL Storm Mirinae slammed Vietnam's central coast on Monday, unleashing heavy rains and winds and forcing more than 80,000 people to evacuate.

The storm packed winds of 63 mph (102 kph) as it made landfall in Phu Yen province on Monday afternoon.

Mirinae hit the Philippines with typhoon strength over the weekend. It killed 20 people before losing strength as it moved across the South China Sea toward Vietnam.

Heavy rains lashed Binh Dinh and Phu Yen provinces as the storm made landfall in Vietnam, but no deaths were reported.

Both Vietnam and the Philippines are still recovering from Typhoon Ketsana, which brought the Philippine capital, Manila, its worst flooding in 40 years when it struck in September. Ketsana killed 160 people in Vietnam.

In the Philippines, Ketsana and two later storms killed more than 900. Some 87,000 people who fled the storms were still living in temporary shelters when Mirinae struck. -- AP

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