Vietnam’s Ho Chi Minh City is learning to live with floods
Summary
Ho Chi Minh City is facing repeated flooding as high tides, heavy rain and land subsidence overwhelm its aging drainage system. Climate change and rapid urbanization are making Vietnam’s commercial capital increasingly vulnerable to waterlogging.
Key Points
- Heavy rain combined with high tides sent floodwater onto roads across Ho Chi Minh City on Sept. 30.
- Residents in low-lying neighborhoods have adapted by raising floors and continuing daily life amid recurrent floods.
- Experts say climate change, rapid urbanization and land subsidence are worsening the city’s flood risk.
- The city’s drainage and canal system, built during the French colonial era, has struggled to keep up with rapid growth.
