Hanoi flooded, many people trapped in the streets due to heavy rain

A thunderstorm with lightning suddenly appeared in Hanoi on the afternoon of May 29 after a few days of temporary sunshine, pouring down a huge amount of water, inundating many roads and residential areas.

Although it rained heavily on Sunday afternoon, it was the time people went out for the weekend, so traffic was delayed, and traveling was difficult because many places were knee-deep in water.

Severely flooded areas included the Thai Ha – Boc Pagoda intersection, Vo Chi Cong Street, Cau Giay area, and My Dinh area.

In Cau Giay District, water from the lake in Nghia Do Park overflowed to To Hieu Street into people's yards.

In the Hanoi Old Quarter, heavy and irregular rain also caused flooding. People were stuck in the street, looking for ways to take shelter from the rain, unable to go home for fear of vehicle stalling. Areas that are inherently flooding black spots, such as Yen Nghia in Ha Dong District, the underpass of Thang Long Boulevard with Le Trong Tan Street, and the Nam An Khanh urban area, could not escape severe flooding in this rain. According to the National Center for Hydro-Meteorological Forecasting, the inner city of Hanoi has had moderate to heavy rain. Rainfall measured in the past two hours ranged from 20mm to 60mm, concentrated in the areas of Ba Dinh, Cau Giay, Nam Tu Liem, and Tay Ho districts. In the next three hours, the inner city of Hanoi and surrounding areas will continue to rain, with a common rainfall ranging from 60mm to 120 mm. Noticeably, in front of the address No.31 Hang Dieu Street, a large tree suddenly fell on the road, crushing a moving car. Fortunately, there were no casualties in the incident. However, the front end of the vehicle was seriously damaged.

According to the National Center for Hydro-Meteorological Forecasting, this rain will possibly flood many inner-city streets with a common depth of 40-50cm. Some places are likely to be inundated deeper with a depth of 60-80cm. The cause of the rain was determined to be a trough of low pressure, with an axis passing through the North, which has caused rain for many days in the North. According to experts, the cloud area that causes rain on the afternoon of May 29 is very wide, and the pillar of the cloud is high. Therefore, there is not only heavy rain but also lightning, which appears not only in Hanoi but in many other provinces, including Phu Tho, Hoa Binh, Ha Nam, Thai Binh, Ninh Binh, and Thanh Hoa. People should not leave their houses between 3 p.m. and 6 p.m. to avoid falling trees and thunderstorms.