The death toll from Typhoon Kajiki rose to three in Vietnam on Tuesday, as rescue workers battled fallen trees, downed power lines, and widespread flooding that brought chaos to the streets of the capital, Hanoi.
Kajiki made landfall in central Vietnam on Monday with winds of up to 130 km/h (80 mph), ripping roofs off thousands of homes and cutting electricity to more than 1.6 million people. Authorities confirmed three deaths and 13 injuries, while warning of flash floods and landslides in at least eight provinces as torrential rains continued.
In the central city of Vinh, soldiers and rescue workers used cutting equipment to clear streets littered with trees and torn-off roof panels. “A huge steel roof was blown down from the eighth floor of a building, landing right in the middle of the street,” said local resident Tran Van Hung, 65.
Residents described the storm as one of the strongest they had experienced. “The sound of twisting trees and flying steel panels was terrifying,” said Nguyen Thi Hoa, 60. “We are used to heavy rain and floods, but never winds this strong.”
Flooding has isolated 27 villages in mountainous areas, and more than 44,000 people were evacuated before the storm hit. In Hanoi, heavy rains submerged roads, creating severe traffic gridlock. “The flooding and the traffic this morning are terrible. It’s a big mess everywhere,” said commuter Tran Luu Phuc.
After sweeping across Vietnam, Kajiki weakened to a tropical depression and moved into northern Laos, where it disrupted rail services on the Laos-China high-speed railway. While some roads were cut off, authorities reported no casualties.
Vietnam remains highly vulnerable to extreme weather, with more than 100 people killed or reported missing from natural disasters in the first seven months of 2025. Last September, Typhoon Yagi battered Vietnam and neighboring countries, killing over 700 people and causing billions in damages.
