Around 7:30 PM on 16/5, heavy rain poured over the city center. After only about 20 minutes, streets like Le Duan, Hai Phong, and Quang Trung were flooded 20-30 cm deep. Many motorcyclists drove onto sidewalks to avoid engine stalls.

Heavy rain causes flooding on Quang Trung, Dong Da streets. Video: Nguyen Dong

The Dong Da street area, at its intersection with Quang Trung street in Hai Chau ward, was the most severely flooded, with some spots about 40 cm deep. Water overflowed onto the sidewalks. As the rain appeared unexpectedly in the early evening, many commuters did not have time to prepare raincoats and struggled to move.

"The water was halfway up the wheels, I had to drive carefully to slowly pass through the flooded section on Dong Da street," said Nguyen Thi Ngoc, a resident of Hoang Hoa Tham street, Thanh Khe ward.

On the commercial street Le Duan, several sections were undergoing renovation of the rainwater collection and drainage system. When flooding occurred, motorists had to reduce speed to avoid driving into construction zones.

The heavy rainfall in a short period directly overloaded the urban drainage system. By around 9 PM the same day, the rain eased, water on the streets had receded, and traffic returned to normal.

Water overflowed onto Quang Trung street's sidewalk, vehicles struggled to move. Photo: Nguyen Dong

According to the National Center for Hydro-Meteorological Forecasting, between 6 PM and 8 PM, Son La, Cao Bang provinces, and Da Nang City experienced heavy rain, with some areas seeing very heavy rain. Notable rainfall measurements included Muong Bang 2 (Son La) 76 mm; Minh Long (Cao Bang) 114 mm; and Hoa Phu Thanh (Da Nang) 63 mm.

Forecasts indicate that in the next 3-6 hours, accumulated rainfall in these localities will generally continue to be 10-40 mm, with some areas exceeding 60 mm. This poses a risk of flash floods on small rivers and streams, and landslides on slopes.

Previously, Da Nang experienced a series of sweltering days at noon with thunderstorms appearing in the afternoon. This was the second rain event in the city over the past three days. However, the previous afternoon's rain did not cause localized flooding.

Nguyen Dong