A heavy downpour on Thursday afternoon inundated several Hanoi streets, stranding cars and motorbikes. 

Cars caught in the flooding risk breakdowns as they try to move ahead.

From around 1 p.m., torrential downpours hit many parts of Hanoi. In just 30 minutes, rainfall of nearly 90mm was recorded in the downtown Ba Dinh and Hoan Kiem Districts while Dong Da and Tay Ho Districts received around 70 mm. Rainfall of between 10 mm and 50 mm an hour is considered heavy.

Phan Boi Chau Street in Hoan Kiem District is submerged under almost two feet of water.

A man carries a woman across the road, holding their shoes in a plastic bag.

A man is forced to walk his motorbike after the engine broke down.

Dirty black water floods Phung Hung Street in Hoan Kiem District.

Sanitation workers wearing raincoats stand guard on Phung Hung Street to open sewer holes and warn people of possible sinkholes.

Workers try to prevent trash from clogging floodwater drains on the Kim Lien Underpass in Hai Ba Trung District.  

The National Center for Hydro-Meteorological Forecasting had issued a flood warning to Hanoi's inner area at 1:40 p.m.

Many streets, including Truong Chinh, Ton That Tung, Nguyen Khuyen and Thai Ha in Dong Da District,  Cao Ba Quat and Doi Can in Ba Dinh District and Chu Van An and Thuy Khe Street in Tay Ho District were 30cm to 50cm under water soon after the downpour began.