Prolonged rains flood Hanoi streets, paralyze traffic

Rains poured in many districts with the low-lying Hoang Mai suffering the most severe flooding after receiving 105 mm rainfall within six hours.

Almost every streets and alleys in the district were flooded, with water invading homes and offices.

In Thanh Xuan District, parts of Nguyen Trai, Nguyen Xien and Khuat Duy Tien Streets were 0.5 m under water. The Nguyen Trai section near the University of Social Sciences and Humanities was 0.7 m deep, forcing students to wade through the water to get to class.

Vehicles inch up on the flooded Nguyen Trai Street in Hanoi's Thanh Xuan District under heavy rain at 8:15 a.m. on September 28, 2023. Photo by VnExpress/Pham Chieu

On Nguyen Xien Street, several motorbikes were parked on the road as the riders sought shelter from the rains and traffic jams.

Ngoc Lam, who goes to work in Thanh Xuan by bus, said there were several road sections that were submerged by around 0.3 m, forcing vehicles to stop and line up in long rows.

As of 11:30 a.m., pooring rains and flooding were still causing chaos on many streets. In certain parts of the cpaital, motorcyclists were forced to wait on the sidewalks waiting for traffic clearance.