High tide blocks traffic on Sai Gon River

Hundreds of barges lined up on Saigon River, section through Binh Loi Bridge neighboring Binh Thanh and Thu Duc districts in Ho Chi Minh City because of record flood tide on Monday.

Several barges could not travel through Binh Loi Bridge due to high tide on October 25 (Photo: Tien Phong)
Several barges could not travel through Binh Loi Bridge due to high tide on October 25 (Photo: Tien Phong)

Over the last two days, dozens of sand barges and boats got stuck at both sides of the bridge. As of yesterday evening, hundreds of them were still waiting on the river, said local residents.

According to the city’s waterway traffic police officials, the high tide reaching nearly 1.5 meter, highest level since the beginning of the year, led the distance from the Binh Loi Bridge to the river unsafe for the barges to travel through.

Without flood tide, the distance from the 100 year old Binh Loi Bridge to the river is about two meters.

Late afternoon the same day, the high tide caused severe flooding in several areas in HCMC. Among the worst-inundated areas were Xo Viet Nghe Tinh, Dinh Bo Linh, and Dien Bien Phu streets in Binh Thanh District.

In some portions close to Tan Thuan Bridge in District 7, the floodwater rose to 0.5 meter. Huynh Tan Phat Street in the district 7, An Duong Vuong in District 8 and Hau Giang in District 6 were also badly submerged.

Other news