A torrential rain lasting from last night until Tuesday morning has submerged many parts of Hanoi under up to 60cm of water, seriously hindering the travel of millions of people, authorities said.   

Numerous streets in the capital have been inundated, including Nguyen Son, Ngoc Lam and Nguyen Van Linh in Long Bien District, where the level of rainwater rose to 0.4-0.5 meters from the ground.

Many streets in other districts have also been deeply flooded, including Hoang Quoc Viet, Phan Van Truong, Tran Quoc Hoan, Quan Nhan, Vu Trong Phung, Nguyen Huy Tuong, Nguyen Tuan, and Huynh Thuc Khang.

Serious congestion occurred on submerged Dinh Cong Street in Hoang Mai District, blocking myriad vehicles, many of which shut off.

The same situation was seen on many other flooded streets in the district.

The Hanoi Water Drainage Company has sent employees to Dinh Cong Street to pump rainwater out to Giai Phong District, where it can be drained.

With its low-lying location, Nguyen Son Street sank under 60cm of water.

Floodwater also affected traffic in the area south of the Vinh Tuy Bridge, which spans the Hong (Red) River to link Long Bien and Hai Ba Trung Districts, and inundated the B2 and B3 basements of the Times City urban area nearby.

In Gia Lam District, traffic was also congested on flooded Nguyen Son and Ngoc Lam Streets.

Meanwhile, Ngoc Lam Street in Long Bien District was so inundated that local police had to mobilize forces to prevent people from entering it.

Many trees fell down during the rain on a number of streets in the capital.

The rainfall from 7:00 pm on Monday to 7:00 am on Tuesday was recorded at 205mm in Thanh Hoa Province’s Sam Son District, 190mm in Hanoi’s Hoan Kiem District, 120mm in Bac Ninh Province, and 105mm in Hai Duong Province, the National Center for Hydro-Meteorological Forecasting reported.

This morning, the northern delta area, including Hanoi, continued to have heavy rain with a rainfall total of 40-70mm, which surged to 100mm in some areas, according to the center.

Floods caused by downpours will likely continue in the northern region, especially in low-lying areas in Hanoi and Thai Binh, Nam Dinh, Bac Ninh and Thanh Hoa Provinces, the center warned.

Hanoi now has 25 operating roadworks, which have contributed to worsening congestion on the streets during the rain, the local traffic department said.

The capital’s traffic infrastructure development has yet to keep pace with the increasingly growing number of vehicles, the department added.

The governmental body noted that the illegal occupation of roadways and roadsides in many areas has brought about traffic jams and negatively influenced traffic order and safety.