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Heavy rain overwhelms Hanoi drainage, causing traffic jams
🇻🇳 Vietnam /Disasters & Emergencies

Heavy rain overwhelms Hanoi drainage, causing traffic jams

From Thanh Niên · () Vietnamese

Translated from Vietnamese, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

News Named sources Outcome reported
  • Heavy rain on July 31 overloaded Hanoi's drainage system, causing localized flooding in the northern part of the city.
  • Two specific points, Nguyen Gia Bong street and the Co Linh - Dam Quang Trung intersection, experienced significant inundation affecting rush hour traffic.
  • Hanoi is investing nearly 5,600 billion VND in urgent drainage and reservoir projects to mitigate urban flooding by 2026, with a broader plan for 2026-2030.

Hanoi's drainage system struggled to cope with a short, intense downpour on the evening of July 31, leading to localized flooding in the northern districts. The deluge, with rainfall exceeding 115 mm in the Long Bien district, overwhelmed existing infrastructure, causing traffic disruptions during peak hours.

heavy rain, widespread, occurred in a short time, causing the existing drainage system to be overloaded.

— Hanoi Department of Culture and SportsDescribing the impact of the rain on the city's infrastructure.

The flooding occurred at two identified hotspots: Nguyen Gia Bong street and the intersection of Co Linh and Dam Quang Trung, near Aeon Mall Long Bien. While these areas are slated for drainage improvements by 2026, the immediate impact on commuters was significant. Fortunately, emergency drainage units were deployed, and water receded from these locations by 8 p.m. the same day, a much faster recovery compared to similar past events which could take 8-12 hours to clear.

Notably, areas benefiting from urgent, ongoing infrastructure projects, such as Dai Lo Thang Long, the vicinity of My Dinh Stadium, and several new urban areas like Ngoai Giao Doan and Tay Ho Tay, did not experience flooding. This highlights the targeted approach Hanoi is taking to address urban inundation, a key issue prioritized by the city.

The two flood points have identified solutions for on-site response to ensure drainage in the 2026 rainy season plan.

— Hanoi Department of Culture and SportsReferring to the planned improvements for the affected areas.

Flooding is recognized as one of Hanoi's top five challenges. To combat this, the city has committed nearly 5,600 billion VND (approximately $220 million USD) to 10 urgent projects, including drainage systems and regulating reservoirs, aiming for completion before the 2026 rainy season. Furthermore, a comprehensive plan for urban flood control from 2026 to 2030 is under development, proposing a range of solutions from new infrastructure like pumping stations and underground reservoirs to green space expansion and permeable surfaces, even exploring a "sponge city" model. This long-term strategy could involve an additional 20,000 billion VND (approximately $780 million USD) in investments.

Compared to rain of similar intensity in previous years, these areas took 8-12 hours for the water to recede completely.

— Hanoi Department of Culture and SportsHighlighting the improved drainage response time.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by Thanh Niên in Vietnamese. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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