Manila - A Vietnamese ship rescued 11 Filipino fishermen who had clung to their capsized boat for two days in the sea off the northern Philippines, the coastguard said Friday.

The 11 men were rescued Thursday off Ilocos Sur province, 400 kilometres north of Manila, by the crew of the MV Longxuyen, officials said.

The fishermen had set sail on Saturday from their hometown of Bolinao in nearby Pangasinan province. They were on their way home on Tuesday when their vessel was battered by huge waves and strong winds.

After clinging to the hull of the boat for two days, the men were saved by the crew of the Vietnamese vessel which was en route from South Korea to Malaysia.

The coastguard escorted the Vietnamese ship to the port of San Fernando City in La Union province where the men disembarked.

The northern and central Philippines have experienced heavy monsoon rains since last week. The rains were aggravated by a tropical depression that left nine people dead or missing. (dpa)