A tropical storm heading to Vietnam has lost force before striking the country’s central coast, bringing rain but not the heavy damage disaster officials had feared.

Flooding killed at least 11 people in Vietnam’s southern and central regions, submerged thousands of homes in its largest city and stranded air and railway passengers, officials said today.

MISS Venezuela, Dayana Mendoza, has been crowned Miss Universe 2008 in Vietnam’s resort city of Nha Trang.