Hanoi - Heavy rains flooded Hanoi Friday as the death toll from rain and landslides in Vietnam's central provinces rose to at least 10 in the last week.

According to figures published Friday by the Central Committee for Storm and Flood Control, heavy rains and flood since October 24 have killed 10 people and left one missing in central Vietnam.

Heavy rains beginning early Friday morning paralyzed Hanoi, the country's capital. Local media reported thousands of motorbikes, cars, and buses trapped by high water.

The southern suburb of Ha Dong was reported to have received 350 millimeters of rain so far.

"This is the heaviest rain seen in many years," said Hanoi resident Pham Van Binh, 54. "The water has flooded my house to a depth of
1 metre."

"I can't go to my office," said Nguyen Thu Phuong, 37, an accountant at Vietcombank in Hanoi. "I have to ask my boss for my working day stop."

Phuong said she had left her house at 7:15 am and tried for two hours to get to work, but was blocked by streets filled with half a metre of water.

Forecasters said heavy rains will stop shortly in the central provinces, but will continue in the north for at least the next two days. The Center for Storm and Flood Control said the rain may be the heaviest in decades in northern Vietnam.

Last year, Vietnam was hit by seven major tropical storms or typhoons which triggered floods and landslides that left 435 people dead and missing, the government's General Statistics Office said.

In the first 10 months of this year, natural disasters have killed at least 293 people.

Total estimated losses were 2.7 trillion dong (160 million dollars), up 192 billion dong (11 million dollars) against the same period last year. (dpa)