Record floods submerged streets in several communities in Vietnam on Wednesday. Tens of thousands were left stuck at home or fleeing floodwaters that reached the tops of cars and rooftops in areas of Thai Nguyen city, about 80 kilometres (50 miles) north of the capital Hanoi. By Wednesday morning, the weather bureau said the level of the Cau river, running across Thai Nguyen city, was more than a metre higher than the previous record level of 28.81 metres (94.5 feet) -- when Typhoon Yagi devastated the country in September last year. The floods followed heavy rain from Typhoon Matmo, which weakened on Monday while approaching Vietnam but hit the north hard.