Over 500,000 to be evacuated as Typhoon Kajiki nears Vietnam

More than 150,000 households are set to be evacuated as Vietnam braces for the landfall from Typhoon Kajiki, with some 587,000 across four central coastal provinces affected, state media reported on Sunday.

The typhoon is expected to bring heavy rains and flooding, with boats barred from departing in seven coastal provinces.

Kajiki is currently travelling in the South China Sea at sustained wind speeds of some 175 kilometres per hour, according to the US Joint Typhoon Warning Center.

It is expected to pick up speed before making landfall in Vietnam on Monday, according to the watchdog.

The US meteorologists predict that the effects of the typhoon will first be felt on China's Hainan island, where over 20,000 people have been evacuated, according to state news agency Xinhua.

Schools, offices and shops in Hainan's Sanya have temporarily been closed and public transport suspended in anticipation of the typhoon.