Typhoon Kajiki killed at least three people and injured 10 others in Vietnam, authorities said on Tuesday (August 26, 2025) as they warned that heavy rains could cause flooding and landslips.

The storm damaged nearly 7,000 homes, inundated 28,800 hectares of rice plantings and felled 18,000 trees, the government said in a statement. It also brought down 331 electricity poles, causing widespread blackouts in Thanh Hoa, Nghe An, Ha Tinh, Thai Nguyen and Phu Tho provinces.

Streets in the capital Hanoi were severely flooded as heavy rains fell on Tuesday (August 26, 2025) morning, paralysing traffic. Cars were seen submerged up to their roofs in water.

Flood water also surrounded residential areas in the city, which is preparing to host the country’s largest National Day parade in decades next week as it celebrates the 80th anniversary of its founding.

Video clips on state media showed that water at the West Lake, the largest lake in Hanoi, has overflowed its bank, as rain continued to fall.

Several villages in Bac Ninh province have also been isolated due to flooding, state media reports said.

After making landfall on Vietnam’s north central coast on Monday (August 25, 2025) afternoon, Kajiki has since weakened into a tropical depression as it moved across to Laos on Tuesday (August 26, 2025) morning, the national weather agency said.

The agency warned that rain will continue in several parts of northern Vietnam, with some areas likely to get up to 150mm in six hours, potentially causing flash floods and landslides.

Before making landfall in Vietnam, Kajiki skirted the southern coast of China’s Hainan Island on Sunday (August 24, 2025), forcing Sanya City on the island to close businesses and public transport.

In Thailand, the Meteorological Department warned of heavy rain nationwide Tuesday (August 26, 2025). Residents in foothills and low-lying areas near waterways were warned about possible flash floods and landslips.

Vietnam has shut down airports, closed schools, and initiated mass evacuations as it prepares for the most powerful storm so far this year.

Typhoon Kajiki was packing winds of up to 166 kph (103 mph) as it approached Vietnam’s central coast and was forecast to grow stronger before making landfall on Monday afternoon, the country’s weather agency said.

“This is an extremely dangerous fast-moving storm,” the government said in a statement Sunday (August 24, 2025) night, warning that Kajiki would bring heavy rains, flooding and landslides.

A doorway of a hotel is reinforced by sandbags and an aluminium frame as Typhoon Kajiki approaches in Nghe An province, Vietnam, August 25, 2025.
| Photo Credit:
Reuters

The storm was 150 km off the central coast as of 0000 GMT, the weather agency said. The eye of the storm is forecasted to hit an area between Thanh Hoa and Nghe An provinces around 0900 GMT.

With a long coastline facing the South China Sea, Vietnam is prone to storms that are often deadly and trigger dangerous flooding and mudslides. The Vietnamese government said Kajiki was expected to be as powerful as Typhoon Yagi, which battered the country less than a year ago, killing about 300 people and causing $3.3 billion of property damage.

Authorities said on Sunday (August 25, 2025) that more than half a million people would be evacuated and ordered boats to stay ashore.

Two airports in Thanh Hoa and Quang Binh provinces have been shut down, according to the Civil Aviation Authority of Vietnam. Vietnam Airlines and Vietjet have cancelled dozens of flights to and from the area.

Kajiki skirted the southern coast of China’s Hainan Island on Sunday as it moved toward Vietnam, forcing Sanya City on the island to close businesses and public transport.