Thanh Phong, Vietnam ? After killing at least 31 people in China and the Philippines, Typhoon Damrey slammed ashore Tuesday in Vietnam, forcing the evacuation of nearly 300,000 people along the coastal region.

The most powerful typhoon to hit northern Vietnam in a decade injured nine people after it landed in Thanh Hoa province, packing winds of up to 60 mph, said Le Van Thao of the National Meteorology Center. Thanh Hoa is 100 miles south of Hanoi.

About 144,000 people from Thanh Hoa and another 145,000 from three surrounding provinces were evacuated from low-lying homes, schools and government buildings before the storm hit, said provincial disaster official Tran Quang Trung.

Some 950 homes were destroyed and another 9,000 were badly damaged.

Power outages were reported in Thai Binh and Thanh Hoa provinces, home to 5 million people.

More than 25,000 soldiers have been sent to help reinforce sea dikes and evacuate people, state media reported.

Initial damage is estimated at $5.2 million in Thanh Hoa alone, disaster relief officials said. About 950 homes were destroyed and another 9,000 lost their roofs.