The continuous rain has caused massive flood in central of Vietnam.
We must have had driven through miles after miles of 1-meter deep water.
It was quite a worrying experience as my car may stall.
We finally arrived at a hotel in Vinh City for dinner.
This was originally our lunch destination.
Then we received news that the road towards Hanoi will be flooded over many sectors.
It was getting dark and we were terribly concerned about having to drive through more flooded areas during the dark hours.
Fortunately, the Rally Commander decided to call it a day.Without any delay, we were checked into the same hotel where we just had our dinner.
As I am writing, the rain continues to pour heavily outside the hotel room window.
The cancellation of the night driving may result into a longer driving distance for tomorrow’s journey.If that is the case, our morning call may be as early as 4 am.
There is nothing we could do other than to wait for further instructions.
Meanwhile, we witnessed the arrival of the last group of rally cars at the hotel around 11:30pm.
The group was painfully delayed by the breaking down of 2 vehicles whilst threading water through the flood.
While we were comforting the crew of the latter group, we heard breaking news over CNN.
It was reported that Luzon, Philippines (similar latitude as our current location in Vietnam) will be expecting Super Typhoon.
At this very moment, the air is filled with so much uncertainty for everyone in the rally convoy.”
The above is an extract from one of my daily mission reports forwarded to Singapore Motors Sports Association (SMSA). It was written close to midnight on 18 Oct 2010. Though worried, I was relieved that the Singapore team managed to complete the most challenging part of the rally route without any major incident.
Having led the Singapore team in all previous CAITA’s since 2006, I must say that this year’s edition has been the toughest by far. Seasonal monsoon coupled with record rainfall around central part of Vietnam threaten the progress of the rally. As a result, the organiser had to repeatedly impose official delays on the rally schedule. To make matter worse, there were a high number of vehicle breakdowns. Here’s an insight on how my Santa Fe and I survived the marathon drive relatively unscathed.
The car, seen below with Hyundai and Komoco Motors liveries applied across its side doors, was registered in 2007.
The mileage on the car was nearing 50,000 km when I had its maintenance service and pre-rally preparation works done at Komoco Motors. This Santa Fe was used as the lead car of the convoy during CAITA 2009. The performance was highly commendably that it became a logical choice to use the same car again. And what a wise decision it turned out to be!
The trusty engine provided useful mid-range torque on the tricky B-roads in rural areas of Cambodia and Vietnam. Yet, it was neither harsh nor noisy when the engine was extended during overtaking manoeuvres. Same can be said for the suspension and brake systems. The car remains poised over broken roads and rode on the new highways with superlative comfort. Ultimately, it was Santa’s ability to wade through the flooded terrain that amazed me.
The Santa Fe is seen here embarking on a ‘watermanship’ course amid the chaotic condition.
(Note the boat on the right)
Our initial progress over the flooded areas was expectedly cautious and nervous. The engine rev on the Santa Fe was maintained around 1,300 rpm to prevent water getting into the exhaust. At the same time, I applied my left foot gently on the brake in order to slow the car to a constant speed, thus avoiding water splashing onto the grill and bonnet. Every now and then, we would momentarily lose directional control over deep water. And, occasionally, we were ‘drifted’ by strong under currents brought along by each passing heavy vehicle. The experience was rather scary. But the fears gradually subsided as both the car and the crew learnt to ‘thread’ water. Soon, we started to overtake some slow rowing boats. We even managed to sneak ahead of a Rover Rover to take this photograph.
Unlike the much publicised flash floods in Orchard Road, we saw no end of flooding in Vietnam. Few houses withstood the weather. Even fewer survivors were found sitting on the roofs, waiting to be rescued. Many a time, we had no clue as to when we can get onto a higher ground. As we chased a Toyota Prado in below picture, one would have easily mistaken the sight as a naval exercise.
The number of ‘casualties’ increased as the days passed by. A total of 6 cars were classified as DNF – Did Not Finish. These cars had to be towed to the end point at Nanning, China. Yet, as the rally come to an end, the Santa Fe displayed readiness for another marathon drive. In terms of reliability and performance, it has once again matched and, in some cases, outshone the pricier makes/models such as Hummer, Jeep, Range Rover, Land Rover Discovery, BMW X5 / X6 and Toyota Landcruiser / Prado. Best of all, the Santa Fe remains the undisputedly no. 1 value for money SUV.
The car has since returned to Singapore via sea freight. After such a gruelling event, the Santa Fe does not require any repair, tuning or adjustment. It is back to its usual role of providing daily transport for me and my family. The car is so amazingly trouble-free that the next service at 60,000km interval may well be another ‘routine exercise’. I am thankful for the versatility of my Hyundai and the support provided by Komoco Motors.
[This story was published in The Komoco Chronicle Vol 6.1]
