Typhoon Kajiki causes $109M in damage as floods disrupt northern and central Vietnam

Making landfall on Aug. 25, the storm claimed eight lives, left one missing and 77 others injured, according to Nguyen Truong Son, Deputy Director of the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment's Department of Dyke Management and Natural Disaster Prevention.

The typhoon and subsequent heavy rains damaged more than 38,600 homes, with 510 houses collapsing. Over 104,000 hectares of rice fields and 17,200 hectares of crops were flooded, while 11,700 hectares of forest were uprooted. More than 154,000 livestock and poultry were lost, and over 8,000 hectares of aquaculture were submerged. Typhoon Kajiki also sank or damaged 102 boats and ships.

Thanh Hoa recorded 11 dyke breaches, along with damage to 2.7 km of riverbank and embankment, 5.3 km of canals, and 667 landslides.

Heavy rainfall and rising floodwaters affected low-lying areas and urban zones, including parts of Hanoi. Thousands of households in suburban Hanoi, particularly in Xuan Mai, Tran Phu, Quang Bi, and Kieu Phu communes, remain submerged.

Bui Xa Village on the outskirts of Hanoi remains flooded on Sep. 1. Photo by VnExpress/Gia Chinh

The storm also caused extensive power outages, affecting over 2.5 million customers, with over 3,500 power poles felled between Aug. 25–26.

In response to the disaster, Ha Tinh Province has allocated VND15.4 billion in aid, while Thanh Hoa has provided VND3.6 billion. The Ministry of Health has distributed 1.2 tons of Cloramin B disinfectant to Nghe An and Quang Tri, along with 576,000 Aquatabs water purification tablets and 700 containers of clean water, in coordination with the World Health Organization to prevent post-flood diseases.

Typhoon Kajiki, which formed over the East Sea on Aug. 23, reached maximum wind speeds of 166–183 kph, with gusts up to 220 kph near the central coast. The storm, comparable to Typhoon Yagi in 2024 and stronger than Typhoon Doksuri in 2017, slowed near the coast and remained almost stationary for three hours. It made landfall in Thanh Hoa and Ha Tinh, raging for more than 10 hours with winds of up to 117 kph.

Heavy rainfall in the storm’s wake caused widespread flooding in central Vietnam and parts of northern Vietnam, including Hanoi, where many parts were flooded for 10 hours on Aug. 26.

The National Center for Hydro-Meteorological Forecasting predicts five to seven more storms or tropical depressions will form in the East Sea before the end of the year, with two to three expected to directly impact the mainland. Cold air is also forecast to arrive early, bringing complex rain and flood conditions.