Ho Chi Minh City will implement a combination of infrastructure and non-structural measures to improve drainage capacity and address persistent flooding, with plans to complete nine projects worth more than VND7.15 trillion ($275 million) during the 2026 rainy season.
These projects are expected to eliminate flooding at three of the city's 50 major flood hotspots, defined as locations where floodwater exceeds 30 cms in depth and remains for more than 30 minutes.
This is part of the city’s 2026 drainage and flood control plan, which has been approved by the municipal People’s Committee, aiming to eliminate flood-prone locations, upgrade major drainage corridors, and combine flood prevention works with urban renewal and the relocation of houses along rivers and canals.
Under the plan, the city will review and assess existing drainage master plans, including those previously approved for Ho Chi Minh City, Binh Duong and Ba Ria–Vung Tau before their administrative merger, to develop updated solutions aligned with an integrated, multi-basin flood management strategy.
Authorities will also revise the city's Flood Control and Wastewater Treatment Master Plan for 2020–2045 and its Flood Control and Wastewater Treatment Plan for 2020–2030. The revised plans will include assessments of existing drainage infrastructure, updated climate change, sea-level rise and land subsidence scenarios, as well as studies on smart drainage management solutions such as geographic information systems (GIS), artificial intelligence (AI), real-time data, retention reservoirs and other nature-based solutions.
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