Hanoi, Vietnam: Vietnamese authorities are on high alert as Typhoon Kajiki, a potentially catastrophic storm, barrels towards the country’s central coast. With landfall expected on Monday, the government has initiated a massive evacuation effort, relocating more than 300,000 people from five coastal provinces to designated safe zones in schools and public buildings. Officials have warned that the typhoon could be as powerful as last year’s Typhoon Yagi, which claimed nearly 300 lives and caused an estimated $3.3 billion in damage.
The approaching storm, generating winds of up to 166 kph (103 mph), has prompted the closure of airports in Thanh Hoa and Quang Binh provinces. In response to the severe weather threat, national carriers Vietnam Airlines and Vietjet have cancelled numerous domestic flights, disrupting travel plans for thousands. The civil aviation authority of Vietnam has urged citizens to follow all safety advisories.
Typhoon Kajiki passed the southern coast of China’s Hainan Island on Sunday, where authorities in Sanya City took precautionary measures by shutting businesses and suspending public transport. In a Sunday night statement, the Vietnamese government issued a stern warning, calling Kajiki an “extremely dangerous fast-moving storm” and cautioning residents about the high risk of heavy rain, severe flooding, and destructive landslides.
According to the Joint Typhoon Warning Centre, Kajiki is currently churning the Gulf of Tonkin with waves reaching up to 9.5 meters (31 feet) high. While the storm is expected to weaken slightly as it approaches the continental shelf, it remains a serious threat.
Vietnam, with its extensive coastline along the South China Sea, is particularly vulnerable to powerful storms, which frequently trigger devastating natural disasters. Typhoon Kajiki marks the fifth tropical storm to hit the country this year. So far in 2025, natural disasters have resulted in over 100 deaths or missing persons and economic losses exceeding $21 million.
Scientists have linked the increasing intensity and unpredictability of tropical storms to human-induced climate change, which poses a greater risk of destructive weather patterns, especially in vulnerable tropical regions.