Heavy rain snarls Ho Chi Minh City traffic during morning rush hour

Morning commuters faced massive gridlock on Wednesday as heavy downpours paralyzed multiple routes heading into downtown Ho Chi Minh City.

Vehicles backed up for more than one kilometer on Nguyen Huu Canh Street near Thu Thiem Bridge during the morning rush.

The prolonged gridlock choked traffic moving along the key corridor heading directly into downtown Ho Chi Minh City.

Motorbikes squeezed between cars on Nguyen Huu Canh Street.

Motorbikes squeezed between cars on Nguyen Huu Canh Street.

Motorbikes squeezed between cars on Nguyen Huu Canh Street.

Traffic stalled at the MK intersection near Rach Chiec Bridge, creating severe slowdowns in the area.

Vehicles pack the MK intersection near Rach Chiec Bridge.

Vehicles pack the MK intersection near Rach Chiec Bridge.

Vehicles pack the MK intersection near Rach Chiec Bridge.

Commuters pulling over in the middle of travel lanes to put on raincoats further obstructed vehicle flow. These sudden stops created bottlenecks across the roadway, intensifying the morning congestion.

A motorcyclist fell on the way to Rach Chiec Bridge.

Heavy rain during the morning rush hour brought severe, sustained congestion to major thoroughfares linking Thu Duc City to downtown Ho Chi Minh City.

The above picture shows traffic held to a standstill along Dinh Bo Linh Street, leaving vehicles gridlocked all the way from Binh Trieu Bridge through to the Bach Dang intersection.

Vehicles stretch into long queues along Binh Trieu Bridge, creating heavy backups during the commute toward downtown Ho Chi Minh City.

The bottleneck slowed inbound traffic to a crawl as motorists struggled to cross the bridge into the city center.