Typhoon Kajiki, the 13th named storm of the western Pacific season, strengthened into a severe system as it skirted China’s Hainan Island on Sunday, bringing hurricane-force winds and torrential rain before moving across the Gulf of Tonkin toward Vietnam. Meteorological agencies forecast the eye to come ashore on Monday afternoon between Thanh Hoa and Ha Tinh provinces with sustained winds near 130 kilometres per hour and gusts as high as 166 km/h. Hainan upgraded its typhoon warning to the maximum red level, prompting the resort city of Sanya to close businesses, suspend public transport and ground all flights at Phoenix International Airport from 10 a.m. Sunday. Local authorities evacuated about 20,000 people and relocated nearly 31,900 others. China Daily said more than 102,500 residents had been affected by downed trees, flooded streets and power cuts, although no fatalities were reported. Vietnam, which faces its most powerful storm this year, ordered the evacuation of more than half a million people in central coastal provinces and had moved roughly 30,000 by Monday morning, government statements showed. Airports in Thanh Hoa and Quang Binh were shut and dozens of flights cancelled, while 16,500 soldiers and 107,000 paramilitary personnel were placed on standby for search-and-rescue operations. Forecasters warned of 300–400 millimetres of rain, storm surges up to four metres and a high risk of flash floods and landslides as Kajiki tracks inland toward Laos and northern Thailand.