Timelapse footage shows a storm sweeping across Hanoi as it moved towards neighbouring China.

The video begins with clear skies before dark clouds roll in over the city's high-rise buildings on July 18.

Later clips reveal the storm clouds blanketing the city, bringing heavy rain and drastically reducing visibility, leaving only vehicle lights visible on the roads.

Filmer Tran Nguyen Khanh said the footage was captured three days before Typhoon Wipha reached the country.

Khanh added: 'These videos show how Hanoi was affected by the extreme weather. My business trip was also disrupted by the storm.'

Tropical Storm Wipha was expected to reach Vietnam's northern coast on the morning of Tuesday, July 22.

Authorities placed nearly 350,000 soldiers on standby, as the weather bureau warned of up to 50 cm (20 inches) of rainfall, enough to trigger floods and landslides.

After making landfall in the provinces of Hung Yen and Ninh Binh, Wipha was expected to weaken into a low-pressure system by Tuesday night.

On July 19, 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.

Wipha has been downgraded to a tropical storm after hitting mainland China on July 20.