Vietnam moved tens of thousands of people from coastal provinces on Monday as Typhoon Kajiki advanced toward the country's central shoreline, bringing destructive winds and towering waves.

The storm, the fifth to strike Vietnam this year, is sweeping through the Gulf of Tonkin with swells approaching 10 meters and maximum winds reported near 160 km/h before landfall. Authorities expanded their evacuation orders to more than 500,000 residents across north-central provinces, directing them to schools and public buildings converted into shelters. By morning, around 30,000 had already been relocated, supported by 16,500 soldiers and over 100,000 paramilitary forces mobilized for emergency response.

The city of Vinh bore the brunt of overnight rains, its streets submerged and businesses shuttered. Many locals secured their homes with sandbags before heading to shelters.

"I have never heard of a typhoon of this big scale coming to our city," 66-year-old Le Manh Tung told AFP, speaking from an indoor sports stadium now serving as a refuge. "I am a bit scared, but then we have to accept it because it's nature. We cannot do anything."

Typhoon Kajiki batters China’s Hainan — 600 Russians stranded as flights halt, hotels flood, trees uproot & roofs torn apart

Departures may resume tonight or tomorrow per officials https://t.co/lpJTXKkChR pic.twitter.com/F3WGu5wHI3

— RT (@RT_com) August 25, 2025

Transport has been severely disrupted. Two domestic airports, in Thanh Hoa and Quang Binh, were closed, dozens of flights canceled, and all fishing vessels ordered to return to port. The National Center for Hydro-Meteorological Forecasting said Kajiki is expected to strike land around 3:00 pm local time with winds close to 139 km/h. "Rain will continue today and tomorrow, and with that huge rainfall risks for floodings and flash floods on rivers are very high," warned Director Mai Van Khiem. Forecasts call for widespread rainfall of 150-300 mm, with some areas exceeding 600 mm, raising fears of landslides in mountainous districts.

Kajiki landfall

Meteorologists predict Kajiki will weaken quickly after making landfall, as cooler seas along the continental shelf reduce its energy. The Joint Typhoon Warning Center noted "an approaching weakening trend as the system approaches the continental shelf of the Gulf of Tonkin, where there is less ocean heat content."

Neighboring China has also faced disruptions, with Hainan Island evacuating about 20,000 residents and shutting tourist services in Sanya as the typhoon passed to its south.

Vietnam has already recorded more than 100 deaths or disappearances from natural disasters in the first seven months of 2025, with estimated losses topping $21 million. Officials warn Kajiki could echo the destruction of Typhoon Yagi last September, which devastated northern provinces, claimed hundreds of lives, and caused $3.3 billion in damage.

Read more: 64 dead, 229 injured in Asia's most powerful storm in 30 yrs - Vietnam