Wading home: A man carrying a dog as he wades through a flooded street amid heavy downpours from Typhoon Matmo. — Reuters
Torrential rains triggered by Typhoon Matmo flooded parts of Hanoi, the latest in a series of deluges that have inundated the Vietnamese capital over the past month as a run of storms has swept across the country’s northern regions.
Heavy downpours flooded major roads, leaving motorbikes and cars stranded and forcing residents to wade through calf-deep water.
Inner-city districts have been particularly affected, with drainage struggling to handle the volume of rain.
“It’s a loop – rains come, streets flood and people desperately try to get by,” said Nguyen Ngoc Long, a Hanoi resident.
“I fear this will soon become a norm for us.”
Several schools in the capital closed or shifted to online teaching, while several flights from and to Noi Bai International Airport have been delayed or rescheduled.
Last week, there was severe flooding in Hanoi due to Typhoon Bualoi, which killed at least 51 people in Vietnam and caused approximately US$600mil (RM2.5bil) of damage.
Many families had just finished cleaning up mud and debris from Bualoi before Matmo brought another wave of heavy rains.
The weather agency forecast rain and thunderstorms in Hanoi throughout yesterday morning, warning of potential floods in low-lying areas, and said that up to three more storm systems were expected to hit the country before the end of 2025. — Reuters
