Super Typhoon Yagi uprooted thousands of trees and swept ships and boats out to sea, killing one person, as it made landfall in northern Vietnam on Saturday, after blowing past southern China where it left two dead.

The typhoon hit Hai Phong and Quang Ninh provinces, packing winds exceeding 149 kilometres (92 miles) per hour, the National Centre for Hydro-Meteorological Forecasting said.

In Hai Phong, metal roof sheets and commercial sign boards were seen flying across the city sky as the typhoon hit.

Further inland in Hai Duong province, a man was killed in the street after heavy winds brought down a tree as the storm approached landfall, according to state media.

Before hitting the mainland, the typhoon uprooted hundreds of trees on Co To island, about 80 kilometres from mainland Quang Ninh.

Several office buildings, schools and houses on the island were unroofed by the powerful winds.

Signboards lay scattered around the island, while electrical lines were snapped and tangled by the wind.

Local authorities said the typhoon was the most severe to hit the island in decades.

The storm killed at least two people and injured 92 others on southern China's Hainan island before hitting Vietnam.

State broadcaster CCTV said Yagi brought winds of more than 230 kilometres per hour, uprooting trees and prompting the evacuation of around 460,000 people. (AFP)