Hundreds of cars trapped in mud as floods recede in northern Vietnam

On Phan Dinh Phung Street in the center of Thai Nguyen, north of Hanoi, several waterlogged cars were towed to garages on Thursday night.

These vehicles had been moved to higher ground by their owners to avoid flooding. However, due to the rapid rise of floodwaters, which reached 1.5 meters higher than in previous years following Typhoon Matmo's heavy rains, all of them were heavily submerged.

A tow truck lifts a car and transports it to the garage for repairs.

Each tow truck was carrying two cars at a time. Most of the cars had been submerged for nearly two days during the intense flooding.

"My family has three cars parked here. The damage is over VND1 billion (US$38,000). I've never seen this road flood so high before, which is why everyone moved their cars here," said one car owner.

One of the hundreds of submerged cars being loaded onto a tow truck showed visible mud and dirt on its body.

Most of the cars were coated in mud after being submerged in floodwaters.

The interior of a Hyundai i10 had changed color due to the flooding and mud.

Mud had also caked inside an Audi.

An SUV that had been submerged was being towed away.

A Toyota Corolla Altis, almost entirely covered in yellow mud, is being pulled to the garage, with the mud nearly obscuring its dark-colored paint.

On Ben Tuong Street, two cars had been covered with tarps by their owners to prevent floodwater from entering.

There were also cars with broken windows, waiting for tow trucks.