Typhoon halts Vietnam coffee drying, Philippine toll up

By Ho Binh Minh

HANOI (Reuters) - Typhoon Mirinae brought strong wind to Vietnam's central coast and heavy rain to the nearby coffee region on Monday, disrupting early harvesting, after killing 16 people and destroying thousands of houses in the Philippines.

The typhoon uprooted trees as it made landfall on the coastal provinces of Binh Dinh and Phu Yen, state-run Vietnam Television reported. The government said nearly 8,000 people had been evacuated in the central region before the typhoon arrived.

Rain fell in Daklak and Lam Dong on Monday morning, Vietnam's largest coffee-growing provinces, disrupting farmers' drying of beans, residents said.

The harvesting peaks from late this month.

"Strong wind and heavy rain struck us two hours ago," said a resident in Dalat city, the capital of Lam Dong.

A resident in neighbouring Daklak said rain had been falling there since early Monday.

"If it rains like this for days, farmers won't be able to go picking cherries," she said.

Persistent rain would prevent farmers from drying their beans outdoors in the sun, a coffee trader said.