The rapidly rising water level of the Red River in northern Vietnam surpassed alert level two in Hanoi on Wednesday morning, intensifying the city's ongoing struggle with heavy rainfall, according to the National Center for Hydro-Meteorological Forecasting.

The river, which reached 10.5 meters at alert level two by 11:30 pm on Tuesday, continued to swell, climbing to 10.76 meters by 6:00 am on Wednesday.

Forecasters warn that the water level is expected to peak later in the day, exacerbating the flooding already affecting the city.

Hanoi authorities have asked the local administrations in Bac Tu Liem, Tay Ho, Ba Dinh, Hoan Kiem, Hai Ba Trung, Hoang Mai, Long Bien, Thanh Tri, Dong Anh, and Gia Lam Districts to strictly implement relevant requirements to effectively respond to the situation.

Tuoi Tre (Youth) newspaper reporters saw that Chuong Duong Do Street in Hoan Kiem District was submerged under nearly one meter of floodwater at 6:00 am on Wednesday.

As no vehicles could survive such heavy inundation, people had to use small boats for travel.

Since midnight on Monday, residential areas have been flooded in many districts including Hoan Kiem, Ba Dinh, and Tay Ho, forcing residents to flee along with their belongings and seek shelter in relatives’ houses.

Local authorities had to ban people from approaching dangerous areas as the water level spiked swiftly. 

Given that Hoan Kiem is facing heavy flooding, Hoan Kiem Electricity Company, under Hanoi Electricity Corporation, has cut off power supply in a number of residential areas for safety reasons.

On Tuesday afternoon, chairman of the Hanoi administration Tran Sy Thanh inspected the flooding situation and efforts against it in Bac Tu Liem District.

This is an area where the river goes through four wards, including Thuong Cat, Lien Mac, Thuy Phuong, and Dong Ngac.

As the river’s water level has been recorded to rise by 10 centimeters per hour, authorities have evacuated thousands of households in the district to safe places over the past few days. 

Thanh ordered the district administration to urgently make preparations in response to scenarios which include the water level rising to alert level three, or 11.5 meters, to ensure safety for people. 

The Hanoi Steering Committee for Natural Disaster Prevention and Search and Rescue has issued a warning that as the Red River continues to rise, the risk of landslides in riverside areas has significantly increased.

The committee also highlighted that river dykes in several districts, including Bac Tu Liem, Hai Ba Trung, Dan Phuong, Phuc Tho, Son Tay, Thanh Tri, Gia Lam, Long Bien, Tay Ho, Hoan Kiem, and Dong Anh, are now at heightened risk due to the escalating water levels.

As a move to respond to the river’s rising water level, Vietnam’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs has sent a diplomatic note to China requesting the neighboring country to strictly control the amount of water flowing from the upstream of the Red River to its downstream areas.

The ministry has also worked with the Chargé d’affaires ad interim at the Chinese Embassy in Hanoi, suggesting coordination to prevent floods and mitigate the effects of typhoon Yagi, which recently hit both countries. 

In its initial response, China confirmed on Tuesday morning that two of its hydropower plants upstream of the Red River will not release water.

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