Hanoi Residents Endure 18 Years of Flooding in City Center

Residents in a central Hanoi alleyway have been enduring severe flooding for nearly 18 years, with heavy rains consistently inundating their homes. The prolonged issue, primarily attributed to delayed infrastructure development, has forced inhabitants to adapt their lives and incur significant economic losses. Ms. Cu Thi Bac, 69, who lives in Alley 42, Giang Van Minh Street, Ba Dinh District, explained that her three-story house, built in 1993, began experiencing floods around 2008. Initially dry, the situation worsened as the street level was raised multiple times, making her home relatively lower. She now has to elevate her belongings nearly two meters high and hang her bicycle on the wall to protect them. The persistent water damage has ruined electronics, deteriorated the building's structure, and created a damp, unsanitary environment. During typhoons in 2025, her house was submerged by 1.5 meters, destroying all electrical appliances. Similarly, Mr. Nguyen Duc Minh, 38, has his house raised by 60 cm, but it still floods during heavy downpours. Running a home-based eatery, he has to stack furniture high and move motorcycles to a nearby parking lot before every rain. In a July 27, 2023, downpour, he waded through thigh-deep water to deliver 50 meals to customers. His wife, Linh, used a large laundry basin as a makeshift boat to transport their child home from kindergarten, located 300 meters away, citing the uneven, flooded street as too hazardous. Approximately 80% of households in the area have raised their floors by 30-50 cm, and many have invested tens of millions of Vietnamese dong in metal flood barriers or automatic sensor systems. However, these measures have not fully resolved the problem. According to the Hanoi Center for Urban Infrastructure Management, rainfall on the afternoon of July 27, 2023, reached 50 mm in 30 minutes, exceeding local drainage capacity. This resulted in 35-40 cm of flooding in alleys 42 Giang Van Minh and 100 Doi Can. Mr. Ngo Manh Son, head of Hamlet 15 in Ba Dinh Ward, identified the prolonged delays in the Kẻ Khế canal undergroundization project and the Nui Truc-Son Tay road construction as the root cause of the flooding. Approved in 2008 with a total investment of 205 billion VND, the project aimed to create a 25-meter-wide road alongside a 1.04 km underground canal. Incomplete construction, combined with some residents' habit of littering, has obstructed water flow, severely impacting residents. Son stated that the local authorities have repeatedly petitioned for a definitive solution, but the situation remains unresolved. As of 9 AM on July 28, 2023, Alley 42 Giang Van Minh still had over 20 cm of water, with drainage workers present to clear debris from manholes. The flooding also affects businesses. Mr. Phan Duc Anh, 26, manager of a coffee shop in Alley 42 Giang Van Minh, reported a significant drop in revenue for the third quarter over the past three consecutive years. Despite the shop's floor being 60 cm above street level, rainwater still floods the seating area by 30-40 cm. Hanoi City recently set a new completion deadline for the Kẻ Khế canal undergroundization project for December 31, 2026. "I want to live in a dry house, with my belongings properly arranged to welcome guests, and end the decades of stacking things up to escape the floods," Ms. Bac expressed her long-held wish. Source: VnExpress