Electricity workers pull power lines to repair damage.—VNA/VNS Photo Hữu Quyết

HÀ NỘI — Localities affected by Typhoon Kajiki (called Typhoon No. 5 in Việt Nam) are racing to deal with the aftermath of the storm, which left seven people dead, one missing and 34 injured.

The typhoon also caused houses to collapse and damage to numerous roads, irrigation works, power lines and telecommunications networks, paralysed transport, cut electricity to nearly 1.6 million customers, and disrupted communications across several provinces.

In Hà Tĩnh Province, tens of thousands of households were plunged into darkness after Kajiki swept through. The power grid suffered extensive damage, with many lines and substations knocked out of service.

On Wednesday morning, Deputy Director of Hà Tĩnh Power Company Phạm Việt Thắng said that all available resources were being deployed to repair storm damage. According to the company, electricity is expected to be restored for all customers in the province before Friday.

Immediately after the storm dissipated on Tuesday, the Northern and Central Power Corporations mobilised 316 engineers and workers from the provinces of Quảng Ninh, Bắc Ninh, Thái Nguyên, Quảng Ngãi, Quảng Trị, Gia Lai, Đà Nẵng and Thừa Thiên Huế, along with vehicles, equipment and materials, to support recovery efforts in Hà Tĩnh.

The reinforcements, including many experienced engineers and technicians, arrived with cranes, specialised tools and temporary steel poles to accelerate power grid repairs.

By midday on Wednesday, more than 3,000 substations had been restored, though some 1,100 remained without electricity. Hundreds of toppled poles have been replaced, while power lines are gradually being reconnected, allowing many communities to regain electricity for daily life and production.

Chairman of the provincial People’s Committee Đỗ Minh Tuấn (centre) directs rescue work and helps with the response to a broken flood drainage canal in Thanh Hóa Province. VNA/VNS Photo

In Thanh Hóa Province, urgent efforts are under way to repair damage to local dike systems.

On Wednesday morning, Chairman of the provincial People’s Committee Đỗ Minh Tuấn issued an emergency directive ordering swift action to address breaches and prepare for dike protection in the next few days.

Local authorities have been instructed to mobilise manpower, materials and equipment to contain incidents in their early stages and prevent them from escalating, while reinforcing vulnerable points. Detailed protection plans must be drawn up and put into practice, with clear task allocation and sufficient resources to ensure safety.

Tuấn also ordered inspections of unfinished or damaged dike works to ensure long-term stability, with regular patrols and monitoring to detect and respond to risks at the earliest stage.

Relevant departments and agencies are tasked with strengthening dike management, increasing patrols and providing timely advice to local authorities, while standing ready with manpower and equipment to assist communities in dike protection.

In Thái Nguyên Province, heavy rainfall over the past 24 hours has forced the Thái Nguyên Irrigation Company to begin controlled discharges from Núi Cốc Reservoir at 12.30pm on Wednesday. Water levels have reached 46.2 metres, prompting the opening of two spillway gates with a flow of 200 cubic metres per second.

Authorities have warned that discharges may affect residents and businesses along both banks of the Công River, including Đại Phúc, Tân Cương, Bá Xuyên, Sông Công, Phổ Yên, Vạn Xuân, Trung Thành, Phúc Thuận and Thành Công. Residents are urged to take precautions, avoid activities close to the riverbanks and pay attention to traffic safety as water levels rise.

Hà Nội evacuates residents

In the capital, rapid flooding triggered by Typhoon Kajiki has forced authorities to begin evacuations to protect residents.

According to the National Centre for Hydrometeorological Forecasting, within the next 12–24 hours, water levels on the Bùi and Tích rivers are forecast to rise above danger level III, threatening to inundate low-lying areas and river islets to depths of 0.1–0.5 metres.

Authorities warn of potential dike failures, traffic disruption, production losses and risks to residents’ safety.

Xuân Mai Commune, home to over 14,000 households, has more than 1,400 families with some 6,500 people regularly exposed to flooding.

Its mixed hilly and low-lying terrain hampers drainage, posing serious risks to lives, livelihoods and infrastructure.

The commune's Bùi Xá hamlet, lying directly on the floodplain of the Bùi River, is considered the 'epicentre of flooding' in Hà Nội, where residents frequently face inundation.

Chairman of Xuân Mai Commune Nguyễn Anh Đức said more than 200 people have been mobilised, including police, militia and residents, to reinforce the Bùi 2 dike with sandbags. Households are also being assisted in moving their belongings to safety.

Local forces are implementing flood prevention measures under the 'four on-the-spot' principle, using available manpower, materials, facilities and leadership. The commune’s military command is conducting inspections of riverside and landslide-prone areas, evacuating residents where necessary and maintaining patrols to safeguard dikes.

Damage

Preliminary reports show agricultural production has been severely affected, with 92,226ha of rice, 9,727ha of fruit orchards and 10,836ha of other crops damaged or destroyed across several provinces.

Livestock losses stand at nearly 49,000 head, with Hà Tĩnh the worst hit.

Forests, industrial crops, and aquaculture farms have also been devastated, with tens of thousands of trees uprooted and thousands of hectares submerged or swept away.

At sea, 102 fishing vessels were sunk, collided, or were damaged in heavy seas, mostly in Hà Tĩnh and Nghệ An.

Flooding and landslides have caused multiple dike breaches in Thanh Hóa, riverbank collapses in Nghệ An and Hà Tĩnh, and widespread damage to canals, culverts, bridges and roads across northern and central provinces.

More than 200 landslides have been recorded on major transport routes, with dozens of sections submerged or washed away.— VNS