As Hồ Chí Minh City was hit by two major flood events within a single week, a 2016 tidal flood project—costing 4.4 trillion đồng ($548 million)—remains non-functional.
The Latest: At a press conference on the afternoon of Oct. 8, Phan Quốc Huy, deputy head of technical infrastructure at the Hồ Chí Minh City Department of Construction, stated that recent meteorological conditions far exceeded the thresholds of the drainage network.
- Despite the acknowledged inadequacy, the department presented no immediate plan at the press conference to raise drainage standards.
The Press Conference: According to Huy, the city drainage system is engineered to absorb a maximum of 85.3 mm of rain across a three-hour window and withstand a peak high tide of 1.32 meters.
- In contrast, tidal levels reached 1.56 meters on Sept. 28 and 1.51 meters on Sept. 29.
- Furthermore, on Sept. 30 and Oct. 1, rainfall in numerous districts exceeded 100 mm in just 45 minutes to an hour.
Huy blamed the timing of the downpours:
- “Heavy rain in a short time meant the water couldn’t drain in time, causing flooding in many places,” Huy stated, according to Tiền Phong.
Anti-flood Work Causing Floods: Beyond heavy rain and high tides, the Department of Construction cited three other causes of the flooding:
- Construction sites blocking water flow
- Poorly coordinated operation of sluices and canals in some areas
- Ongoing encroachment on drainage canals
Furthermore, Nguyễn Hoàng Anh Dũng, deputy director of the Hồ Chí Minh City Urban Infrastructure Construction Investment Project Management Board, stated that every project requires contractors and supervisors to implement temporary drainage plans during construction.
- Despite these measures, flooding is still rampant.
- On Oct. 8, the People’s Committee of Bình Lợi Trung Ward reported that the drainage for the project raising Đặng Thùy Trâm street remained incomplete, sending water into homes whenever it rains, according to VnExpress.
The Flood Control Project: Phase One of Hồ Chí Minh City’s tidal flood mitigation project broke ground in 2016 under a build-transfer (BT) contract, with Trung Nam Group as an investor.
- The project remains inoperative, despite construction surpassing 90% completion.
- Over that timeframe, the investment grew from nearly 10 trillion đồng to more than 14.4 trillion đồng.
- The city still has not settled its ongoing payment dispute with the investor.
Why It Matters: From 2026 to 2030, Hồ Chí Minh City outlined 87 projects worth about 142 trillion đồng to eliminate 50 severe flood points.
- The plan schedules the completion of only three flood spots in 2026 before attempting to resolve 30 spots in 2027 alone—representing 60% of the five-year target.
- Dũng noted that the funding comes from multiple sources managed by different agencies under their own rules, preventing synchronized expenditures.
Moreover, as reported by VnExpress on Oct. 7, the expanded metropolis contains approximately 159 regular flood points (with 76 located inside the former city core).
- The 142 trillion đồng plan covers only 50 severe flood points, not all the remaining regular ones.
Thành Phương wrote this news article in Vietnamese and published it in Luật Khoa Magazine on October 9, 2026. The Vietnamese Magazine translated it into English.
