Trees uprooted, traffic stalled as heavy rains flood Hanoi streets in Typhoon Kajiki's wake

Downpours from the previous night inundated streets such as Nguyen Trai, Truong Chinh, Minh Khai, Nguyen Xien, and Vo Chi Cong. Floodwaters reached up to a meter in some areas, forcing motorbikes to stall en masse and cars to be abandoned mid-road. Traffic on National Highway 6, a key route linking Hanoi with the northwest, ground to a halt as water submerged vehicles bumper-deep.

On Vo Chi Cong Street, a 4-km traffic jam stretched from Noi Bai Airport into downtown Hanoi. Commuters spent hours stranded, with some turning to the metro or wading through waist-deep water to reach work.

Vehicles are stuck on the flooded Vo Chi Cong Street. Photo by Tran Huan

Parents carried children on their backs through flooded alleys, while school classrooms in Mai Dich Primary were inundated.

The flooding uprooted large trees, including one that crushed a car at the Tran Phu–Chu Van An intersection. The occupants escaped unhurt but the vehicle was badly damaged. Authorities dispatched crews to cut and remove fallen trees, though many roads remained blocked well into the afternoon.

A mahogany tree was uprooted and fell onto a car at the Tran Phu–Chu Van An intersection. The occupants were rescued safely, but the car was deformed and heavily damaged. Photo by Huy Manh

In Cau Giay Ward’s Xanh Market, vendors saw water surge over a meter high, submerging stalls and destroying goods. "The water rose too fast," said vendor Hong Thi Xua, who could not save her merchandise or vehicles. In several neighborhoods, residents used boats to navigate flooded streets or improvised barriers and pumps to keep water out of their homes.

By midday, floodwaters still engulfed areas such as Giang Van Minh Alley, where first floors of old apartment blocks were underwater. Families lifted belongings and even motorbikes onto wooden platforms to keep them dry.

The National Center for Hydro-Meteorological Forecasting reported that rainfall in Hanoi exceeded 150 mm between Monday night and Tuesday morning, and surpassed 200 mm in some northern provinces.

Kajiki had made landfall in Thanh Hoa and Nghe An on Monday with winds of 133 kph before weakening into a tropical depression over Laos. While winds eased, its circulation system unleashed torrential rains across northern and central Vietnam, triggering widespread flooding and threatening landslides in saturated mountain areas.

In Hanoi, authorities warned that with soil moisture levels already high and drainage overwhelmed, localized flooding could persist into Wednesday if rains continue.