Heavy rain paralyzes Ho Chi Minh City traffic, forces commuters onto sidewalks

From 6:00 pm, major intersections along Le Duan Boulevard, Dong Khoi Street,and Nguyen Binh Khiem Street were jammed with vehicles moving at a crawl.

The one-kilometer stretch from the Notre-Dame Cathedral Basilica of Saigon to the Saigon Zoo and Botanical Gardens took some commuters nearly 20 minutes to traverse, as cars and motorbikes packed every lane.

Many impatient riders steered their motorbikes onto the sidewalks in search of a way out.

The same situation unfolded on Nguyen Huu Canh Street, Vo Nguyen Giap Boulevard, and Nguyen Tat Thanh Street, where localized gridlock left thousands stranded.

In the Do Xuan Hop and Thao Dien areas and on Dang Thuy Tram Street, floodwaters rose halfway up motorbike wheels, forcing riders to wade through murky water.

According to the Southern Regional Hydro-Meteorological Center, a low-pressure trough combined with converging winds from the southern East Vietnam Sea triggered strong atmospheric disturbances that could bring heavy rain to the city and neighboring provinces in the coming days.

The regional weather agency also warned of possible whirlwinds, lightning, and strong gusts, as well as tidal flooding in low-lying neighborhoods.

By 7:00 pm the same day, Quoc Huong Street in upscale An Khanh Ward, known as the ‘street of the wealthy,' was knee-deep under water.

Scores of vehicles broke down, and residents trudged through the flooded street, pushing their motorbikes.

Nearby roads such as To Huu and Vo Nguyen Giap were also heavily congested.