Rush-hour downpour freezes HCMC traffic

Heavy rain during Wednesday afternoon’s rush hour triggered severe traffic congestion on roads around Tan Son Nhat Airport, while floodwaters quickly rose across many parts of HCMC.

Traffic packed the key road of Xo Viet Nghe Tinh through the Hang Xanh intersection, with vehicles inching forward during rush hour.

A long traffic jam formed on the Lang Cha Ca overpass, a gateway to Tan Son Nhat Airport. Vehicles backed up to a triangular junction nearby.

Traffic descended into chaos at the five-way intersection of Nguyen Van Troi outside a military facility, as vehicles converged from multiple directions.

Vehicles queued for more than a kilometer along Hoang Van Thu Street, inching through the congestion.

Long lines of cars and motorbikes moved slowly along Truong Chinh Road.

Long lines of cars and motorbikes moved slowly along Truong Chinh Road.

Long lines of cars and motorbikes moved slowly along Truong Chinh Road.

Long lines of cars and motorbikes moved slowly along Truong Chinh Road.

The rush-hour downpour also left many roads in the Thu Duc area deeply flooded. On To Ngoc Van Street, water rose to cover vehicle wheels after only about 10 minutes of heavy rain.

Flooding was worst at the intersection where surging water made travel difficult.

Residents struggled to push stalled motorbikes through deep floodwaters on To Ngoc Van Street.

Residents struggled to push stalled motorbikes through deep floodwaters on To Ngoc Van Street.

Residents struggled to push stalled motorbikes through deep floodwaters on To Ngoc Van Street.

Many households and residents of nearby alleys put barriers across entrances to keep floodwaters from entering their homes.

Local resident Nguyen Van Be said the area's sloping terrain and a nearby stream caused water to rush in whenever it rained heavily, "flowing like a waterfall."

Local resident Nguyen Van Be said the area's sloping terrain and a nearby stream caused water to rush in whenever it rained heavily, "flowing like a waterfall."

Local resident Nguyen Van Be said the area's sloping terrain and a nearby stream caused water to rush in whenever it rained heavily, "flowing like a waterfall."

Surging water after the downpour swept bags of garbage across the road.

Water surged along Linh Dong Street, where only a few cars passed and almost no motorbikes were seen