Typhoon Kajiki Slams Vietnam: 3 Dead, Thousands of Homes Roofless

 When Typhoon Kajiki made landfall on August 25, the coastal provinces of Nghệ An and Hà Tĩnh bore the brunt of its fury. What followed was one of the most destructive storms the region has seen in years — a cocktail of torrential rain, ferocious winds, and an agonizing 10-hour stall that amplified the damage.

Human Toll

At least three people lost their lives — in Ninh Bình, Nghệ An, and Hà Tĩnh — while 13 others were injured, most in Hà Tĩnh and Quảng Trị. Thousands of families were forced from their homes as water surged into villages, leaving belongings ruined and communities cut off from the outside world.

Homes and Infrastructure Shattered

The storm ripped through central Vietnam’s housing stock: 6,800 roofs torn away, 3,100 homes flooded, and eight houses collapsed completely. Power infrastructure crumbled, with 742 poles damaged and over 1.7 million households plunged into darkness.

In Thanh Hóa, a 25-meter embankment breach and a failed drainage gate at the Hội Thống dike unleashed saltwater into rice paddies, destroying fields meant to feed entire communities. Twenty-seven villages were left isolated, roads submerged and impassable.

Agriculture Takes a Heavy Hit

Perhaps the deepest wound came to Vietnam’s agricultural backbone. Kajiki battered 31,300 hectares of farmland, including:

• 21,000 hectares of rice fields in Hà Tĩnh

• 7,000 hectares in Nghệ An

• 2,700 hectares of other crops, 2,200 hectares of fruit orchards, and 160 hectares of aquaculture.

Rice, vegetables, and even fish farms — the staples of rural economies — were drowned or swept away. For farming families already stretched thin, the losses represent not just one bad harvest, but months, even years, of recovery.

A Storm That Refused to Move

What made Kajiki particularly devastating wasn’t just its strength — with winds gusting at category 17 levels — but its stubbornness. The storm lingered over central Vietnam for 10 long hours, pounding the same communities without mercy.

Looking Ahead

As relief teams struggle to restore power, repair dikes, and reach cut-off villages, the scale of rebuilding is becoming clear. Typhoon Kajiki was more than a natural disaster; it was a stress test for infrastructure, agriculture, and human resilience in a region already vulnerable to the front lines of climate change.

For many in Nghệ An and Hà Tĩnh, the storm has passed — but the aftermath has only just begun.

AnThi