Rainstorms bring back flooding to Ho Chi Minh City environs

It was the first heavy rain of the season, which arrived early after months of relentless heatwaves.

The heavy rain began in the center of Bien Hoa City and neighboring districts like Trang Bom, Long Thanh, and Vinh Cuu at 3 p.m. and lasted for an hour. In certain areas, strong winds blew the roofs off of houses and brought down trees and billboards.

By nightfall, central districts of the city were underneath 30-40 cm of water.

People falling on the flooded streets during the heavy rain in central Bien Hoa City, May 7, 2024. Photo by VnExpress/Thai Ha

The city’s main roads, including Dong Khoi, Nguyen Ai Quoc, Bui Van Hoa, and areas near the Bien Hoa 2 Industrial Park and the Dieu Market, were affected as water poured out of inundated sewers and alleys.

In some areas, the tides rose high enough to submerge motorbike tires and flood engines, making a wreckage of fallen motorbikes and riders in the ponds and lakes that were previously everyday thoroughfares.

"Water surged from small alleys into the road, combined with waves from large vehicles, causing many vehicles’ engines to shut down," said Long, driving along Dong Khoi Street.

At Dieu Market, some alleys were flooded nearly a meter deep, soaking many stalls. Local merchants noted this was by far the biggest downpour of the year so far.

In Long Hung Commune, 17 houses lost their roofs to the storm.

But many were not surprised as heavy storms combined with blocked drainage systems floods certain areas of the city every rainy season. However, this was a particularly early deluge.

Houses in Bien Hoa City’s Long Hung Commune had their roofs blown off. Photo by VnExpress/Thai Ha

Nguyen Phuoc Huy, director of the Dong Nai Hydro-Meteorological Center, attributed the heavy rain and storms to atmospheric disturbances.

"These amounts of rain are considered quite high during the seasonal transition period," Huy said. "It is forecasted that rainfall will increase as the southern region officially enters the rainy season in mid-May."

Rainfall at Tan Hiep, Trang Bom, Dinh Quan, and Bau Ham stations between 3-4 p.m. was measured at 17.4 mm, 25 mm, 29 mm, and 16 mm, respectively.

According to Huy, Dong Nai is currently in a transitional phase, with rain frequently occurring from noon to evening, often accompanied by storms, gusty winds, lightning, and possibly localized hailstorms. However, the local weather has remained hot and will only cool down at the beginning of June.

Due to rapid urbanization and the steep terrain of Bien Hoa City, water from alleyways often flows to main roads, creating large streams, which lead to flooding during heavy rains. Despite local authorities’ efforts to address the issue, it remains unresolved.

In Ho Chi Minh City, heavy rain hit central and eastern areas, causing flooding on several roads. On Le Van Viet Street in Thu Duc City, a nearly one-kilometer stretch from La Xuan Oai to Phong Phu Temple was submerged under 30-40 cm of water, causing traffic chaos as motorbikes toppled each other in their own wakes.

"This section is low-lying, so it is often heavily flooded during the rainy season, making travel very challenging," said Tra, a resident of Thu Duc City – HCMC’s "city within a city."

Flooding at the underpass on National Highway 1 in Thu Duc City on May 7, 2024. Photo by VnExpress/Gia Minh

In the area bordering Thu Duc City and Binh Duong Province, which borders both HCMC and Dong Nai, the National Highway 1 underpass at Mien Dong Bus Station flooded due to a pump failure. Part of an overpass-underpass project in front of the bus station, the underpass has only recently been temporarily opened to motorcycle traffic. Water was about 30 cm deep, making movement difficult and forcing many vehicles to head back to the upper road.

The Southern Regional Hydro-Meteorological Station reported that the development of thunderclouds had caused the widespread rain across Ho Chi Minh City, including Thu Duc City, District 12, and Hoc Mon district.

The rainstorms came after weeks of record heat waves and HCMC and neighboring provinces.