BANGKOK, Thailand – Tens of thousands of residents are being evacuated from Vietnam’s central coast as Typhoon Kajiki approaches with sustained winds nearing 160 kilometers per hour. Now churning through the Gulf of Tonkin, the storm is generating waves as high as 9.5 meters and is expected to make landfall Monday afternoon. It is the fifth typhoon to impact Vietnam this year.
More than 325,000 people across five coastal provinces have been ordered to evacuate to temporary shelters set up in schools and public buildings. By early Monday (Aug 25), nearly 30,000 had already been relocated, supported by the deployment of 16,000 military personnel. In the coastal city of Vinh, heavy overnight rain left streets flooded and businesses closed, with residents working to protect property from the incoming storm.
Kajiki has also disrupted transportation and commercial activity. Two domestic airports have been closed, and over a dozen flights have been canceled. All fishing boats in the affected area have been called back to shore. In China, the island of Hainan evacuated around 20,000 people and temporarily shut down public sites and services as the storm passed south of its coast.
While Kajiki is expected to weaken after landfall due to reduced ocean heat near the continental shelf, forecasters warn of continued risks from flooding and strong winds across low-lying and mountainous areas. The storm may still bring dangerous conditions even as its intensity fades.
Vietnam has already reported over 100 people dead or missing from natural disasters in the first seven months of 2025, with damage estimated at more than 21 million US dollars. Typhoon Yagi, which struck last year, caused over 3.3 billion dollars in losses and hundreds of fatalities, raising concerns that Kajiki could once again overwhelm parts of the country. (NNT)
