Hanoi: Office workers braved the rain all morning, arriving at work just in time for... lunch.

Cancel work schedule after being drenched in rain for several hours.

Waking up this morning, Ms. Tran Phuong Anh (from Linh Dam, Hanoi ) was exasperated to see the torrential rain. Whenever it rains, Hanoi gets congested, so she and her husband reminded each other to move quickly to avoid being stuck in traffic.

With a rumbling stomach, Phuong Anh hurriedly washed up, changed her clothes, and rushed out of the house, heading towards her makeup shop on Hoang Ngoc Phach Street.

Earlier, the couple had booked a taxi to go to work, but after waiting 15 minutes, no driver accepted the ride. To make it to their 9 am appointment, she had to switch to using a motorbike.

Amidst the torrential downpour, the motorbike wobbled precariously on the road. After only a few minutes, she encountered a long traffic jam on Nguyen Xien Street, near Thang Long University.

Ms. Phuong Anh was helpless and unable to travel to work, turning back halfway (Photo: Provided by the interviewee).

"Rows of motorbikes and cars lined up bumper to bumper on the road. Almost everyone was at a standstill, enduring the rain and wind during rush hour. It's rare to encounter such heavy rain and traffic congestion, leaving everyone feeling helpless," said Ms. Phuong Anh.

Flooded roads and numerous vehicles breaking down in the middle of the road exacerbated the traffic congestion, with lines of cars growing longer and longer.

Ms. Phuong Anh and her husband patiently moved their motorbike inch by inch. The rain was pouring down, they were soaked, shivering from the cold – it was truly a "torture" day at work for laborers.

An hour passed and they were still "drifting" on the road, so she had no choice but to call the customer to cancel the booking.

"Today, I had an appointment with a young client at the makeup shop for the Mid-Autumn Festival at school. Due to the rain and severe traffic, I had to call the child's mother to cancel the appointment. With this situation, I might not be able to get to the shop until tonight," said Ms. Phuong Anh.

Seeing that the road was less congested, the couple decided to move their motorbike over the median strip to cross the road. She didn't get home until 11:20 AM.

"I have many appointments with clients this afternoon. I will discuss the weather conditions with them later. The rain and wind make commuting difficult and significantly affect the work of laborers," Phương Anh lamented.

Arriving at the office by 12 pm... for lunch.

Seeing the heavy, incessant rain, instead of leaving home around 7 am as usual, Ms. D.P. (in Nam Tu Liem district, Hanoi) decided to arrive late for work to avoid traffic jams. She didn't start arriving at the office until 9:30 am, thinking that the roads and sidewalks would be clear and she could easily get to work.

To her dismay, upon reaching Me Tri Street, Ms. P. felt discouraged seeing the traffic seemingly at a standstill for a very long time. The distance to her office was only 2km.

Traffic congestion on Me Tri road (Photo: Provided by the interviewee).

She tried to be patient and wait in line. However, by 10:30, she had only managed to move a few hundred meters further.

"The rain caused flooding, many vehicles broke down, making the traffic jam even worse. I had to call my supervisor to report that I might not get to work until noon," Ms. P. said with frustration.

Having waited too long, she decided to turn around and find another route that wasn't congested. She checked Google Maps, and many routes were still marked red even at 10:30 AM. After observing for a while, she finally identified a less congested route.

Many vehicles broke down while passing through the flooded section of road (Photo: Provided by the interviewee).

Ms. P. said: "I had to turn around to get onto Thang Long Boulevard. Then to the underpass, cross the road to get onto the expressway, and then to the Tran Duy Hung underpass. This seems like a more open route."

So, she left home at 9:30, and around 11:00 she passed by her house again to find a less congested route to work.

"It was still raining heavily at that moment, and along the route I was traveling, many motorcyclists had to take shelter from the rain, and many cars had broken down," Ms. P added.

This is the first time since the beginning of the year that Ms. P. has encountered such heavy rain and severe traffic congestion.

"Traffic jams are normal in the capital. But it's been a long time since I've experienced such a prolonged traffic jam, to the point where I didn't get to work until 12 noon, just in time for lunch, even though the distance was only 7km," Ms. P. sighed.

Source link: https://dantri.com.vn/lao-dong-viec-lam/ha-noi-dan-van-phong-dam-mua-ca-sang-den-cho-lam-chi-kip-gio-com-trua-20230928122045503.htm