Hanoi Floods: Residents Navigate Waterlogged Streets, Homes

Heavy downpours from Wednesday night to Thursday morning left many streets in central Hanoi under 40-50 cm of water, and some outlying areas under nearly a meter. By the morning, many monitoring stations had recorded more than 150 mm of rain. With traffic paralyzed on Road 70 in Tay Mo Ward, a young man ferries people by boat across a flooded stretch of about 500 m for VND50,000 ($1.92). Photo by Hoang Giang Hanoi residents are getting used to parts of the city flooding whenever heavy rain drags on, and daily life goes on as usual. Pictured is a young man wading through water above his knees to deliver food in My Dinh. Photo by Tung Dinh Heavy rain sends water pouring into homes on My Dinh Street. A homeowner uses wooden boards to hold back the water. Photo by Tung Dinh Meanwhile, Tran Thi Hong in Alley 39, Tu Lien, is bailing water out of her home one basin at a time. She had put a steel sheet 60 cm high across her door, but water still got in, and she has to plug into a neighbor's electricity to pump it out. Photo by Huy Manh A man on My Dinh also has to bail water out of his home despite having put up a fence. Photo by Tung Dinh The heavy rain caused widespread flooding in Hanoi from Thursday morning. Cau Dien Street, part of National Highway 32 along the Nhon-Hanoi Station metro line, is deeply flooded, with some stretches under nearly half a meter of water, paralyzing traffic in both directions. Many vehicles have stalled, forcing people to walk their motorbikes through the water. Many homes on both sides of the street have put up metal barriers nearly a meter high to keep the water out. Photo by The Bang Traffic backs up for more than a kilometer on Cau Dien Street. Many motorbikes are forced into the car lanes to avoid the flooded patches. A stalled car on Cau Dien Street near Minh Khai metro station. Residents on Minh Khai Street use all sorts of items to keep water out of their homes. "I had to put ceramic tiles across my doorway to stop the waves from surging in and washing my things away," said Thuy Nga, a shopkeeper in Tay Tuu Ward. Ngoa Long Street in Tay Tuu Ward is under more than half a meter of water. In Alley 1, water has flowed into homes, making it hard to get around. Resident Bui Duc Hoang said he had to take time off work and stay home. Photo by The Bang The Cau Coc Street area in Tay Mo Ward is also under nearly a meter of water, which has spilled into homes. The area is in western Hanoi, in the Nhue River basin, and often floods deeply because its drainage system is patchy and not yet fully connected. Photo by Hoang Giang Authorities cordon off a flooded section of Cau Coc Street with warning tape. Many street-front shops have closed and moved their goods up off the floor. Photo by Hoang Giang Residents travel by boat on Cau Coc Street, where some stretches are under a full meter of water. Cau Coc Street residents cling to the walls of roadside houses or use foam boxes to get through the flooded stretch. Photo by Hoang Giang About 30 cm of water covers the intersection of Duong Dinh Nghe and Pham Hung streets. It also covers Pham Tu Street in the former Thanh Tri District, which leads toward K Hospital and Road 70. Authorities have put up barriers to keep people out of the flooded areas. Photos by Pham Chieu, Anh Phu Long stretches of To Huu Street in Dai Mo Ward are flooded, close to the Dong Bong 2 flood-regulating lake in Me Tri, a project meant to ease flooding in western Hanoi. Photo by Dao Minh Phong Traffic is backed up for several kilometers on the Pham Van Dong section of Ring Road 3. Photo by Anh Phu