HCMC sees heaviest rain in 8 years as traffic light toppled, motorbikes swept away in neighboring provinces

The rain struck HCMC around 6 a.m., blanketing Thu Duc City, Binh Thanh, Go Vap and nearby districts in dark clouds and thunder.

Many roads saw floodwaters rise above motorbike wheels. In lower-lying areas, water reached seat level, disabling dozens of vehicles and leaving traffic paralyzed.

Inside shops and homes, residents scrambled to bail out rising water. Street vendors frantically laid plastic sheets and propped up wooden planks in a last-ditch effort to save merchandise from flood damage.

A man on a motorbike struggles to move through a flooded street near Thu Duc Market, Ho Chi Minh City, May 10, 2025. Photo by VnExpress/Quynh Tran

"This is the most severe rainfall not caused by a typhoon in the past decade," said Le Dinh Quyet, a meteorologist with the Southern Hydrometeorological Center.

Over the last 10 years, the southern metropolis has only seen rainfall at over 200 mm once, during storm Usagi back in November 2018.

The Tan Son Hoa weather station in Tan Binh District has recorded rain levels at over 100 mm within a span of 24 hours only 19 times between 1978 and 2024. Among them, there were five years when rain levels exceeded 150 mm.

Quyet attributed the event to a powerful southwest wind pulling moisture inland, intensified by a low-pressure trough. Cu Chi District saw rainfall hit 230 mm, an amount Quyet called "extremely rare" in such a short span.

Meteorologist Nguyen Ngoc Huy said the rain was amplified by days of oppressive heat and the urban heat island effect, which caused moisture to accumulate in the atmosphere. A cold front at higher altitudes created the perfect conditions for a sudden, violent storm.

Neighboring provinces Binh Duong and Dong Nai also endured heavy rainfall between 100–150 mm.

In Binh Duong's Thuan An City, sections of National Highway 13 were submerged under more than a meter of water.

Flooding in rural zones cut off access to some communities, prompting emergency teams to evacuate elderly residents, children, and personal belongings to safer ground.

A traffic light pole in the area was toppled by strong wind gusts.

A traffic light pole is knocked down during rain in Binh Duong Province, May 10, 2025. Photo by VnExpress/Thai Ha

Water from the upstream Suoi Siep surged through National Highway 1K, which runs between Di An City in Binh Duong and Bien Hoa City in Dong Nai, turning roads into rivers. Dozens of vehicles stalled in the floodwaters, forcing drivers to abandon their bikes and wade through waist-deep water as traffic backed up for miles.

Several neighborhoods along Suoi Lo O and Suoi Siep, including Tan Dong Hiep, Binh Thang and Binh An wards, were heavily flooded, severely disrupting travel and daily activities. Local authorities worked quickly to evacuate families in low-lying areas to safer ground.

Further east, fast-moving currents on National Highway 1A in Trang Bom District of Dong Nai swept away multiple motorbikes.

In the Song May Industrial Park, located in Bac Son Commune, floodwaters rose above half a meter. Many workers were left stranded, waiting for the water to recede before they could reach their factories.

Authorities now warn of more unpredictable and extreme weather as southern Vietnam shifts from La Niña to a neutral climate phase, a pattern that often leads to irregular rainfall and stronger storm systems.

Meteorologists forecast continued downpours through May 14 across the southern region, with heightened risks of thunderstorms, strong winds, lightning and hail.