Tackling floods: Urban planning and water governance in HCMC

Pressure following the administrative expansion

Following the expansion of its administrative boundaries, flooding in Ho Chi Minh City is no longer confined to the urban core but has become a challenge for the city as a whole. Rapid growth in population, infrastructure, and urban development has placed increasing pressure on the drainage system.

According to the Department of Construction, the city currently has 159 locations that experience recurrent flooding. Of these, 76 are located in the former Ho Chi Minh City, 52 in the former Binh Duong Province, and 31 in the former Ba Ria-Vung Tau Province. These figures underscore the urgent need to strengthen drainage infrastructure and implement comprehensive, citywide solutions to improve flood resilience.

Climate change continues to heighten the city's flood risk. Intense rainfall events have become increasingly frequent, while tidal levels recorded at the Phu An and Nha Be monitoring stations have repeatedly exceeded 1.8 meters, reducing the capacity of the natural drainage system. At the same time, land subsidence caused by excessive groundwater extraction, coupled with decades of rapid urbanization, has further increased the risk of flooding.

According to Mr. Trinh Quoc Dung, Deputy Head of the Technical Infrastructure Division under the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Construction, the city recorded 37 rainfall events with precipitation ranging from 10 to 80 millimeters during the first half of 2026. Among these, 10 storms produced more than 50 millimeters of rain over one to two hours, placing considerable strain on the drainage network and causing localized flooding in many areas. Several roads, particularly those along rivers and in low-lying areas, continue to experience regular flooding during high tides.

One of the main reasons flooding remains difficult to address is the lack of integration among drainage systems inherited from different localities following the administrative merger. These systems were constructed during different periods and to varying technical standards. In addition, the filling of ponds, lakes, and canals, along with extensive urban paving, has significantly reduced the city's natural water-retention capacity. In many cases, road surfaces have been raised while surrounding residential areas remain at their original elevations, causing stormwater to accumulate in lower-lying neighborhoods and prolong flooding.

As an immediate response, the construction sector is working with local authorities to install tidal gates at branch drains and alley culverts, while also studying localized road elevation improvements at flood-prone locations to reduce the impacts of recurrent inundation.

Planning based on topographical advantages

According to Dr. Ngo Viet Nam Son, an urban planning expert, the administrative merger has created favorable conditions for Ho Chi Minh City to develop a polycentric urban model, supported by a larger land area and the availability of higher-elevation sites. If population growth, services, and economic activities remain concentrated in the existing urban core, pressure on technical infrastructure, transportation systems, and the environment will intensify.

Many parts of the inner city lie at elevations of only 0.5 to 2 meters above sea level, whereas the northwestern area of the former Ho Chi Minh City and the former Binh Duong Province are situated at elevations exceeding 10 meters. These higher-lying areas offer significant advantages for developing new urban centers that are more resilient to climate change while reducing the costs associated with flood prevention and adaptation measures.

Dr. Ngo Viet Nam Son also emphasized that the city should prioritize coordinated investment in transport infrastructure, healthcare, education, and public services in higher-elevation areas to encourage residents and businesses to relocate from the existing urban core. At the same time, urban planning should respect natural conditions by preserving green spaces, water bodies, and nature-based infrastructure in low-lying areas.

Sharing this view, Prof. Dr. Nguyen Van Phuoc, President of the Ho Chi Minh City Union of Science and Technology Associations, said that urban flooding is no longer simply a matter of drainage systems or low-lying roads. Instead, it has become a comprehensive challenge involving urban planning, river basin management, tidal control, land subsidence, saltwater intrusion, and water security.

He noted that many flood-control measures implemented in recent years have remained fragmented. In some areas, roads have been elevated only to increase flooding in neighboring residential communities. Elsewhere, tidal gates have been constructed without complementary pumping stations or retention reservoirs, limiting their overall effectiveness.

For this reason, Ho Chi Minh City should shift its approach from pursuing absolute flood prevention to adopting a comprehensive flood risk management strategy. As climate change intensifies extreme weather events, the priority should not be to eliminate flooding entirely but to minimize its impacts while strengthening the city's resilience and recovery capacity.

Urban development projects should also be required to comprehensively assess their impacts on natural water flows. Only by integrating land-use planning, infrastructure development, and water resource management can Ho Chi Minh City effectively reduce flood risks and build long-term resilience to climate change.