Typhoon Kajiki made landfall in Vietnam on Monday afternoon, battering the country’s coastal provinces with winds of up to 133 km/h (82 mph), causing widespread destruction across central regions.
The storm delivered powerful gusts that ripped through properties, uprooted trees from the ground, and knocked down lampposts, according to state media reports. In the coastal tourism town of Cua Lo, resident Dang Xuan Phuong described terrifying scenes: “When I look down from the higher floors, I could see waves as tall as two meters, and the water has flooded the roads around us”.
The National Center for Hydro-Meteorological Forecasting warned that despite winds gradually easing, the typhoon could trigger flash floods and landslides across 400 communes in six provinces.
The agency forecasted rainfall of 300-400mm in northern Vietnam, with isolated areas potentially exceeding 600mm of accumulation. This heavy rainfall, combined with storm surges, resulted in immediate flooding of coastal communities, with reports of roofs collapsing and homes being inundated across affected areas.
Evacuation Efforts Tagged One of Vietnam’s Largest Emergency Operations
Vietnamese authorities executed one of the largest evacuations in the country’s history, ordering more than 586,000 people to leave their homes across coastal provinces. The massive operation involved more than 16,500 soldiers and 107,000 paramilitary personnel mobilized to assist with evacuations and standby for search and rescue operations. The government established temporary shelters in schools and public buildings, including sports stadiums where evacuees gathered for protection from the storm .
The scale of the evacuation reflected the government’s assessment of Kajiki as an “extremely dangerous fast-moving storm” that demanded unprecedented preparedness measures. The provinces of Thanh Hoa, Quang Tri, Hue, and Da Nang saw the most extensive evacuation efforts, with residents moved from vulnerable coastal areas to higher ground.
One evacuee, 66-year-old Le Manh Tung sheltering in Vinh city, expressed both fear and resignation: “I have never heard of a typhoon of this big scale coming to our city. I am a bit scared, but then we have to accept it because it’s nature – we cannot do anything”.
