Deckchairs were sent flying along the beach as Typhoon Wipha swept across southern Thailand.

Footage shows several sun loungers blown away as violent winds battered the island of Koh Samui on Sunday afternoon, July 20.

In neighbouring Vietnam, a tourist boat was capsized by the storm, leaving dozens of passengers dead.

The vessel reportedly overturned after being hit by choppy waves and heavy rain off the coast of Ha Long Bay shortly after 2 pm local time.

Thailand's Meteorological Department issued weather warnings when Wipha was recorded as a strong tropical storm over the northern South China Sea at 10 pm on July 19.

With maximum sustained winds of 93 km/h, the storm moved towards the Gulf of Tonkin and northern Vietnam, where it is expected to weaken into a tropical depression between July 21 and 22.