August 26, 2025
HANOI – Typhoon Kajiki, the fifth to hit the East Sea (internationally known as the South China Sea) this year, made landfall in the central provinces of Nghệ An and Hà Tĩnh at 6pm on Monday, bringing maximum sustained winds of level 11 (117 km/h) and gusts reaching level 13, the National Centre for Hydro-Meteorological Forecasting reported.
In the next three hours, the storm is forecast to move west-northwest at 10-15 km/h.
From 5.30pm to 10.30pm, due to the impact of the storm, torrential rains are forecast to hit six northern and central provinces, including Phú Thọ, Quảng Ninh, Thanh Hoá, Nghệ An, Hà Tĩnh, and Quảng Trị. Rainfall reached 80-120mm in Thanh Hoá, Nghệ An, and Hà Tĩnh, even over 200mm in certain areas.
Authorities have issued flash flood and landslide warnings across vulnerable wards and communes, including Vinh ward and mountainous areas in Hà Tĩnh.
Meteorologists cautioned that flash floods and landslides could endanger lives, disrupt transport, damage infrastructure, and impact agricultural production. Local administrations were urged to reinforce inspections, clear drainage systems, and prepare emergency measures.
According to the Directorate of Dikes and Disaster Prevention under the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment, the impact of Storm No. 5 has so far left one person dead in Hà Tĩnh Province and eight others injured (four in Hà Tĩnh and four in Quảng Trị). In Hà Tĩnh Province alone, 621 houses had their roofs blown off and 144 were flooded.
The army has mobilised troops and equipment to support local residents in coping with the storm.
The storm battered the mainland from Nghệ An to Hà Tĩnh, while the Power Generation Corporation 1 carried out inspections at Bản Vẽ Hydropower Plant to ensure safe operations during the storm.
Heavy rainfall caused flooding across 16,346ha of rice paddies (911 ha in Ninh Bình, 13,327 ha in Hà Tĩnh, and 2,108 ha in Quảng Trị), 611ha of vegetables, and 2,058ha of fruit trees. A total of 4,443 roadside trees and 22 power poles were also toppled in Hà Tĩnh Province.
Floods and landslides were reported at three sites in Đồng Lê and Thượng Trạch communes, Quảng Trị Province. Localised flooding also disrupted several roads and spillways in Nghệ An, Hà Tĩnh, and Quảng Trị provinces.
Across the provinces from Ninh Bình to Huế, 18,452 households comprising 44,313 people were evacuated to safer places.