Ho Chi Minh City commuters wade through floodwater as tide exceeds highest alert level

A tide peaking at 1.75 m flooded many streets in Ho Chi Minh City on Tuesday evening, stalling vehicles and snarling rush-hour traffic.

At 6:15 p.m. on Tuesday, deep water at the intersection of Nguyen Huu Tho and Nguyen Thi Thap streets in the former District 7 in the city's south stalled many vehicles, causing prolonged traffic congestion.

Many people struggled to ride through the flooded stretch at the intersection of Nguyen Thi Thap and Le Van Luong streets on their way home from work.

A section of Vo Van Kiet Street near Calmette Bridge in the city downtown was partially flooded, slowing traffic and making it hard for vehicles to get through.

From around 6 p.m., water came halfway up the wheels on nearby Bui Van Ba Street, leaving a stretch of nearly 2 km awash.

The tide also flooded the intersection of Nguyen Van Linh and Nguyen Thi Thap streets halfway up the wheels, affecting both car and motorbike lanes.

Many people pushed their stalled motorbikes or waded through the water carrying their children home from school.

Water spilled into roadside shops and eateries on Bui Van Ba Street. Residents said it is one of the area's worst flooding spots, regularly swamped whenever the tide runs high.

Many households in alley 136 on Bui Van Ba Street put barriers across their doors to keep the water out. Parts of the alley were flooded by about half a meter.

Nguyen Thi Quynh Anh's rented room was flooded for hours by the tide. With water inside, she and her child had to sit on the bed or move up to the loft while waiting for it to recede.

Residents of alley 136 placed garbage bags on top of walls to keep them from being swept away by the rising tide.

Deep flooding on a section of Street 15B near Phuoc Long Market in the city's southern area stalled many vehicles, and people pushed them onto the sidewalk to wait for the water to recede.

Streets around a villa and townhouse area behind the SC VivoCity mall in former District 7 were deeply flooded. Authorities stood guard at the entrances, warning drivers and keeping vehicles out of the flooded area.

An alley off Tran Nao Street in former District 2 in the city's east, Nguyen Thi Hai, 38, tried to push water out of her home.

She said on some days the water flooded the house before she got home from work, soaking and damaging her belongings.

Le Thi Trang, 72, who lives with four relatives in an alley off Tran Nao, said her house floods deeply at every high tide. Unable to afford raising the floor, the family has lived with flooding for years.

Inside, Trang's younger brother Le Thanh Minh, who has been ill for years, lay curled up on his bed waiting for the water to recede.

The late-October tides run highest from Oct. 26 to 28, according to the Southern Regional Hydro-Meteorological Center. On Oct. 27 the water level reached 1.75 m at Nha Be station at 5 p.m., 1.71 m at Phu An at 6 p.m. and 1.86 m at Thu Dau Mot at 7 p.m., all above alert level 3, the highest. The tide is expected to ease from Oct. 28 but stay above alert level 3.