This morning, Ho Chi Minh City (HCMC) was engulfed by a staggering downpour that many are calling the heaviest in eight years. Beginning around 6 a.m., the relentless rain created dark, foreboding skies over Thu Duc City, Binh Thanh, Go Vap, and surrounding districts.

As floodwaters quickly rose, many roads were submerged, leaving motorcycles partially submerged and trapping vehicles in a crippling traffic jam. In some of the most vulnerable neighborhoods, the water reached seat level, causing widespread chaos.

Inside homes and shops, residents fought a losing battle against the encroaching water, scrambling to bail out their properties. Street vendors rushed to cover their goods with plastic sheets and raise wooden planks, desperate to save their livelihoods.

Meteorologist Le Dinh Quyet from the Southern Hydrometeorological Center declared, "This is the most severe rainfall not linked to a typhoon in the last decade." Over the past ten years, only once had HCMC witnessed rainfall exceeding 200 mm, a record set during storm Usagi in November 2018.

Remarkably, the Tan Son Hoa weather station in Tan Binh District has reported rainfall over 100 mm on just 19 occasions since 1978, with Quyet noting that five of those instances surpassed 150 mm. Today's deluge saw Cu Chi District dangerously close to that record at a staggering 230 mm—an amount deemed "extremely rare" for such a short timeframe.

Meteorologist Nguyen Ngoc Huy explained the phenomenon as a result of a powerful southwest wind channeling moisture inland, coupled with a low-pressure trough, creating a volatile atmosphere ready for a violent storm. This rain event was exacerbated by preceding oppressive heat and urban heat island effects that allowed moisture to gather.

In neighboring provinces like Binh Duong and Dong Nai, rain levels ranged from 100 to 150 mm, with Binh Duong’s Thuan An City seeing sections of National Highway 13 submerged under over a meter of water.

With rural areas cut off from access, emergency teams were deployed to evacuate vulnerable residents, including the elderly and children, to safer locations. Compounding the chaos, a traffic light pole was knocked over by fierce winds.

The floodwaters surged alarmingly down National Highway 1K, transforming it into a river and forcing many drivers to abandon their vehicles and navigate waist-deep waters. Traffic snarled for miles as families along Suoi Lo O and Suoi Siep, including Tan Dong Hiep and Binh An wards, faced severe disruptions.

Further east in Dong Nai, fast-moving currents on National Highway 1A swept multiple motorcycles away, trapping workers in Bac Son Commune's Song May Industrial Park at a standstill as they awaited the waters to recede.

Experts are now sounding alarms about the potential for more unpredictable and severe weather, as southern Vietnam transitions from the La Niña phase to a neutral climate state, historically linked to erratic rainfall and intensified storms.

Residents are advised to stay alert as meteorologists anticipate ongoing thunderstorms and heavy rain across the southern region through May 14, with risks escalating for strong winds, lightning, and even hail.