Unseasonal rain floods Ho Chi Minh City airport, paralyzes transport

By VnExpress   April 1, 2017 | 06:22 am PT
Unseasonal rain floods Ho Chi Minh City airport, paralyzes transport
An airplane is seen parked in the flooded Tan Son Nhat Airport on April 1, 2017. Photo by Song Ngu via Facebook
The dry season is over a month early as sudden two hour rain has turned HCMC streets into canals.

Unexpected heavy rain on Saturday afternoon has caught Ho Chi Minh City residents off guard, seriously flooding the city, including Tan Son Nhat International Airport, and paralyzing railroads in Thu Duc District.

Pictures of planes parked in large pools of water went viral on social media and reminded the online community of a similar incident last summer which back then prompted the city to spend over $16 million to improve the airport's drainage system.

The two hour rain washed away many motorbikes in Thu Duc and District 9. The flood level was as high as one meter in low lying areas. 

"I've seen more than 10 people falling off their bikes; they've been waiting here because water reached as high as motorbike seats," said Nguyen Huy Van, a Thu Duc District resident. "It's not even the rainy season yet and it's already so terrible." 

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To Ngoc Van Road in Thu Duc District was heavily inundated following unexpected unseasonal rain in Ho Chi Minh City on April 1, 2017. Photo by VnExpress/A.X.

Heavy rain followed by serious flooding are the norm during the rainy season in Ho Chi Minh City, which lasts from May till end of October every year. The city enjoys a dry season for the other six months, making the Saturday rain especially unusual. 

 
 
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