Ambulance sirens wail in vain as heavy thunderstorm triggers hour-long gridlock to Vietnam's busiest airport

Torrential rain with violent thunder and lightning pounded central Ho Chi Minh City on Thursday evening, causing prolonged gridlock on several roads near Tan Son Nhat International Airport.

Cars and motorbikes pack six lanes of Pham Van Dong Street along the 2 km stretch between the Le Quang Dinh intersection and the Nguyen Thai Son six-way junction.

The Southern Regional Hydro-Meteorological Center forecasts heavy rain in the late afternoon and evening from Oct. 1 to 4. It warned residents to brace for extreme downpours with thunderstorms and lightning caused by thermal convection.

The rain is expected to be heaviest in Go Vap, Cu Chi, Hoc Mon and the former District 12 in the city's northwest.

On Oct. 2, the city center could also see localized heavy rain.

Many cars cut into the motorbike lane, hoping to escape the jam.

A long line of vehicles with headlights on stretches along the gateway road to Tan Son Nhat airport.

Parts of the motorbike lane are flooded, forcing riders to squeeze together as they push through the heavy rain.

An ambulance is trapped among motorbikes, its siren wailing nonstop with no room left to get through.

With the jam dragging on, many riders mount the sidewalk, while some park under a pedestrian bridge for shelter.

As of 5:45 p.m., heavy rain was still pounding the area, and traffic at the Nguyen Thai Son-Pham Van Dong intersection was in chaos.

By 6 p.m., the jam on Pham Van Dong Street had worsened, with cars stuck in place for an hour.