One-hour downpour turns national highway into river in Vietnam’s Dong Nai

The rain began around 6:50 pm in the former Bien Hoa City.

It intensified into a heavy downpour at 7:20 pm, but stopped roughly 30 minutes later.

Despite its short duration, the rainfall caused significant flooding on several major streets, including Nguyen Thanh Phuong, Dong Khoi, and Nguyen Ai Quoc.

The worst-hit area was the stretch of National Highway 1 in front of Thong Nhat General Hospital in Long Binh Ward, where floodwater rose above half the height of motorbike wheels.

The strong current forced many riders to stop and wait for the water to recede before attempting to continue their journeys.

As the flooding coincided with rush hour, some commuters tried to move through the inundated roadway, leading to their motorcycles breaking down.

In several alarming instances, both motorbikes and their riders were swept away by the current.

Nearby residents, particularly groups of young men, quickly intervened to pull commuters to safety.

Water levels rose rapidly due to the intense rainfall, but receded just as quickly.

Within about 20 minutes after the rain stopped, most of the floodwater had drained, and traffic gradually returned to normal.

The Dong Nai weather station reported that Bien Hoa recorded 25.3 mm of rain in a short span of time.