On September 17, 2026, within the framework of Vietnam Water Week 2026 in Hanoi, the Vietnam Water Supply and Drainage Association (VWSA) organized a thematic seminar "Increasing the recovery capacity of the water sector due to the impact of climate change".
Speaking at the opening of the seminar, Mr. Tran Anh Tuan - Standing Vice Chairman of the Vietnam Water Supply and Drainage Association said that Vietnam is currently facing many increasingly obvious impacts of climate change such as drought, saltwater intrusion, extreme heavy rain and urban flooding. Unusual weather phenomena not only put pressure on water resources but also put the water supply and drainage infrastructure before the requirement to improve resilience and recovery.
The heavy rain in Hanoi right before the event took place, with common rainfall from 150-200mm, causing flooding on many streets, is a clear proof of the increasing pressure on urban drainage infrastructure. This reality shows that response solutions cannot just stop at handling incidents after they occur, but need to shift strongly to proactive forecasting, prevention and adaptation.
Climate change has been, is and will be happening with direct, difficult-to-control impacts. Improving resilience and finding flexible adaptation solutions for the water sector is no longer just a long-term strategic orientation, but has become an urgent problem to ensure social security and sustainable development" - Mr. Tran Anh Tuan emphasized.
From Korean experience, Mr. Myung Soo Yoo - Vice President of the Korean Water Society (KWWA), said that water supply and drainage infrastructure needs to be seen as an essential type of infrastructure, which is important for national development. South Korea is promoting the application of artificial intelligence (AI) in managing and operating water supply systems, monitoring quality and flow in real time, and supporting flood forecasting on river routes, thereby improving early warning capacity and community protection.
Meanwhile, Dr. Mohmad Asari Bin Daud - Vice President of the International Water Association (IWA), emphasized the requirement to ensure water security associated with managing water demand, controlling discharge sources, protecting ecosystems and continuously monitoring water quality. Malaysia's experience also shows that in crisis situations, providing transparent and timely information is important in building people's trust.
Experts from the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) and the Australian Water Association (AWA) share more experiences on preparing and responding to urban flooding, as well as developing adaptive water resource systems through natural-based solutions. These experiences show that international trends are gradually shifting from a mindset focused solely on resistance works to combining technical infrastructure, technology, natural space and management capacity.
Delegates said that the Vietnam Water sector needs to strongly shift from traditional management thinking and incident handling to smart management models, proactively adapt and have rapid recovery capabilities. This is not only a story of investing in more projects but also a synchronous change in institutions, technology, planning, infrastructure and people. In which, digital transformation and data management are identified as one of the important foundations. Along with that, it is necessary to continue to improve policies, standards, and technical regulations; create conditions to mobilize social resources, promote investment in adaptive infrastructure and new technologies.
