August 25, 2025 2:01 PM.
Vietnam has shut down airports, closed schools, and begun mass evacuations as it prepares for the most powerful storm so far this year. Vietnam’s weather agency said Typhoon Kajiki, with wind speeds up to 166 kilometres per hour, is due to make landfall on Monday afternoon.
The government has ordered more than 5.86 lakh people to be evacuated ahead of the arrival of Typhoon Kajiki. The government said in a statement that Kajiki would bring heavy rains, flooding and landslides and that more than 16,500 soldiers and 107,000 paramilitary personnel have been mobilised to help with the evacuation and to stand by for search and rescue.
The civil aviation authority of Vietnam said airports in Thanh Hoa and Quang Binh provinces have been closed, while Vietnam Airlines and Vietjet have cancelled multiple flights to and from the region.
Kajiki passed the southern coast of China’s Hainan Island on Sunday, prompting Sanya City to shut businesses and suspend public transport. “This is an extremely dangerous fast-moving storm,” the government warned in a Sunday night statement, cautioning of heavy rain, flooding, and landslides.
Officials also said that Kajiki could match the strength of Typhoon Yagi, which struck less than a year ago, killing around 300 people and causing $3.3 billion in damage.
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With its long South China Sea coastline, Vietnam is highly vulnerable to deadly storms that frequently trigger severe flooding and landslides. Currently at sea, Kajiki is churning the Gulf of Tonkin with waves reaching 9.5 metres (31 feet).
The Joint Typhoon Warning Centre noted that conditions indicated “an approaching weakening trend as the system approaches the continental shelf of the Gulf of Tonkin, where there is less ocean heat content.”