National highway in Ho Chi Minh City faces heavy flooding following downpour

A heavy downpour on Wednesday afternoon left many streets in Ho Chi Minh City submerged in rainwater, with the National Highway 13 section passing through the city experiencing serious traffic congestion and inundation.

Just 30 minutes after it rained, Hiep Binh and To Ngoc Van Streets in Thu Duc City and Nguyen Van Khoi and Le Van Tho Streets in Go Vap District were underwater.

Torrents of rainwater rushed down National Highway 13 on Wednesday, causing vehicles break-downs and forcing commuters to wade through the flooded road.

During the flooding, some motorcyclists were forced to travel close to lane markings or on the sidewalk to avoid being hit by waves created by vehicles riding through pools of rainwater.

Some commuters decided to turn off their vehicles’ engines and walk them through the flooded street.

Hong Diep, a resident of Thu Duc City’s Hiep Binh Phuoc Ward, said it was the sixth time over the past ten days that the road in front of her house had faced severe flooding triggered by excessive rainfall. The floodwaters had even made their way into her house, she shared.

The torrential rain during the evening rush hour also worsened traffic gridlock on National Highway 13.

Long lines of vehicles became stuck along a nearly-5km route section starting from Binh Loi Bridge to Binh Phuoc Intersection.

Meanwhile, wrong-way drivers added to the traffic chaos.

At a traffic bottleneck near Ong Dau Bridge, the narrow road and people driving on the wrong side to avoid floods almost brought vehicular movement to a halt.

Traffic gridlock plus flooding due to a heavy downpour frustrated commuters on the National Highway 13 section passing through Ho Chi Minh City on July 5, 2023. Photo: Chau Tuan / Tuoi Tre

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