As authorities prepare for Typhoon Kajiki, tens of thousands of people have been given the order to leave Vietnam’s coastline facing the South China Sea. Schools and airports are also closed.
About 30 000 people have been evacuated from coastal areas, according to the Vietnamese government on Monday. More than half a million people were evacuated, according to authorities, who also demanded that boats stay in port.
The government warned that Kajiki would cause heavy rain, flooding, and landslides in a statement released on Sunday night.
More than 16 500 soldiers and 107 000 paramilitary personnel were dispatched to assist with the evacuation and provide assistance with search and rescue, according to a statement from the government.
The country’s weather service forecasts for Monday afternoon, which will make landfall with winds of up to 166 km/h (103 mph) at sea. Conditions “as the system approaches the continental shelf of the Gulf of Tonkin, where there is less ocean heat content,” according to the Joint Typhoon Warning Center.
The Civil Aviation Authority of Vietnam claims that two airports in Thanh Hoa and Quang Binh provinces have been shut down. Difficulty flights to and from the area were cancelled by Vietnam Airlines and Vietjet Air on Sunday and Monday.
Ships from coastal provinces are being called in by those already at sea starting on Monday, according to Vietnam’s news agency.
Vietnam is prone to dangerous flooding and mudslides due to its frequent deadly storms. The Ministry of Agriculture estimates that more than 100 people died or vanished in the first seven months of 2025 as a result of natural disasters.
Typhoon Yagi killed about 300 people last year and damaged about $3.3 billion worth of property.
A little afraid,
As residents and business owners sandbagged their property entrances, the waterfront city of Vinh experienced overnight flooding, leaving most of its streets mostly deserted by morning.
Le Manh Tung, 66, in the city of Vinh, told the AFP news agency, “I have never heard of a typhoon of this magnitude coming to our city.” At an indoor stadium, he is a shelter for himself and other evacuated families.
“I’m a little scared, but we have to accept it because nature dictates everything,” he said.
According to Deputy Prime Minister Tran Hong Ha, the official Vietnam News Agency reported that even high-rise buildings could suffer significant damage and that homes could collapse as a result of the storm.
Laos and northern Thailand are expected to be affected by the storm’s inland movement.
On Sunday, Kajiki made its way toward Vietnam, hitting the southern coast of Hainan Island, China. The province’s typhoon and emergency response alerts were downgraded on Monday morning, prompting the evacuation of about 20 000 residents.
Source: Aljazeera
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