HANOI: Vietnam plans to evacuate more than 300,000 people and has cancelled over a dozen domestic flights as Typhoon Kajiki approaches.
More than 325,500 residents in five coastal provinces will be moved to schools and public buildings turned into temporary evacuation centres.
The storm is set to make landfall on Vietnam’s east coast on Monday.
“The situation is extremely dangerous and not safe for any vehicles or structures such as tourism or fishing vessels and aquaculture raising facilities,“ said disaster authorities working under the ministry of agriculture and environment.
Typhoon Kajiki is sliding slowly past China’s southern coast with maximum sustained wind speeds of 90 knots (167 kilometres per hour).
Extreme downpours are expected in parts of Vietnam’s Ha Tinh and Nghe An provinces on Monday and Tuesday.
It is the fifth tropical storm to affect Vietnam this year, with more than 100 people killed or missing from natural disasters in the first seven months of 2025.
Economic losses have been estimated at more than 21 million dollars.
China’s tropical resort of Hainan upgraded its emergency response to the highest level and evacuated some 20,000 residents on Sunday.
The island’s main city, Sanya, closed scenic areas and halted business operations.
Vietnam suffered 3.3 billion dollars in economic losses last September as a result of Typhoon Yagi.
Scientists say human-caused climate change is driving more intense and unpredictable weather patterns. – AFP
