Under the impact of Typhoon Kajiki, Hanoi endured relentless downpours from the night of August 25 through the morning of August 26. The city recorded approximately 40 flooding hotspots, plunging traffic into widespread chaos. As of nearly noon on August 26, heavy rain persisted in numerous areas, leaving vast stretches of roadways submerged in water.
The intense rainfall overwhelmed Hanoi's urban drainage infrastructure, triggering inundation across residential neighborhoods, urban developments, and low-lying districts. According to the Emergency Rescue Center at the Institute of Elevator Applied Technology (affiliated with the Vietnam Elevator Association), dozens of residential and apartment elevators in Hanoi sustained damage from the storm. Common malfunctions included water infiltration into elevator shafts, flooded pits, electrical short circuits leading to jams, and more.
The center's team for handling and reporting elevator faults was inundated with updates on flooded and damaged elevator pits.
At the Ecohome 3 apartment complex (Dong Ngac Ward, Hanoi), the entire entrance and exit routes were submerged under more than a meter of water.
Rainwater surged into the ground-floor lobby of the Ecohome 1 complex, forcing a complete shutdown of the elevator system.
Residents erected makeshift barriers to block rainwater from entering the lobby at the Ecohome complex.
At Ecohome 1 (Dong Ngac, Bac Tu Liem District), rising floodwaters breached the lobby level, paralyzing the full elevator network and halting operations, which disrupted daily life for occupants. In certain urban zones such as Geleximco (An Khanh, Hoai Duc District) and Starlake (Ho Tay District), water cascaded into building basements, causing severe flooding in underground elevator shafts and inflicting substantial damage.
The Starlake urban development (Tay Ho District) was severely inundated.
Videos circulating on social media captured residents continuing to use elevators even as water penetrated the structures. In the footage, individuals descended to the ground floor amid acute flooding, resulting in elevator breakdowns, failure to close doors, and heightened dangers of entrapment or electrical hazards.
Beyond preventive strategies like strategically positioning elevators at elevated levels or constructing barriers to impede water entry into buildings, experts from the Vietnam Elevator Association (VILEA) recommend installing Flood Detection Systems (FDS) for elevators in recurrently flood-prone locations.
These systems operate on the principle that sensors detect any water leakage or ingress into the elevator, triggering alerts via text messages to users' phones for immediate awareness, while automatically elevating the cabin to a higher floor to avert submersion, short circuits, or electrical leaks.
The Geleximco urban development was submerged in floodwaters
With heavy rain still unfolding, meteorological specialists warn that Hanoi will face continued moderate to heavy precipitation through the day and night of August 26, carrying risks of whirlwinds, lightning strikes, and powerful gusts. Residents are advised to minimize elevator usage, particularly if signs of water intrusion into shafts or cabins are evident.
Under no circumstances should call buttons be pressed if an elevator is flooded, to prevent risks of electrocution or mechanical failure. If required, disconnect the elevator's power supply and promptly contact technical services for inspection, flood remediation, and safety verification before reactivation.
Updated alerts on flood-prone points and streets in Hanoi. Source: Northern Hydro-Meteorological Station
