The Ho Chi Minh City Department of Construction has just issued an urgent document to the Ho Chi Minh City People's Committee on adjusting the Project on flood control and wastewater treatment of Ho Chi Minh City in the period 2020 - 2045 and the plan on flood control and wastewater treatment in the period 2020 - 2030; the plan to fundamentally solve the flooding situation in the city.
According to the Department of Construction, current projects and plans were built before Ho Chi Minh City merged with Binh Duong and Ba Ria - Vung Tau, so they are no longer suitable for the scale, scope and characteristics of the new administrative boundaries.
The Department of Construction said that the content of adjusting the project has a very broad research scope, related to many complex factors such as urban planning, drainage infrastructure, climate change, high tides and sea level rise. Therefore, the city needs to hire a consulting unit with capacity, experience and ability to apply advanced technologies in the world.
Through review, the Netherlands is assessed as a country with many similarities in terrain with Ho Chi Minh City and has leading experience in the world in flood prevention and control.
On December 18, 2025, the Chairman of the Ho Chi Minh City People's Committee had a working session with the Consul General of the Netherlands and experts and consulting units to exchange views on overall solutions to solve the city's flooding situation.
At this meeting, the Chairman of the Ho Chi Minh City People's Committee assigned the Department of Construction to be the focal point for providing information, and at the same time coordinate with the Dutch side to advise on the plan to adjust the project on flood control and wastewater treatment after mergers.
After the working session, the Department of Construction provided a lot of information related to the current situation, planning and drainage and flood control plans of the city; at the same time, held the first meeting with the Consul General of the Netherlands and 9 Dutch partners and experts on January 29, 2026. Here, the Dutch side introduced a number of consulting units and experts in the field of drainage and wastewater treatment.
Currently, the Department of Construction is continuing to summarize the opinions of Dutch partners and experts to report to the Ho Chi Minh City People's Committee, and at the same time request the Dutch side to support the introduction of a suitable consulting unit.
According to the Department of Construction, if organizing foreign consulting bidding according to normal procedures, the implementation time may be about 90 days, affecting the overall progress.
Therefore, in order to complete the adjustment of the project in 2026 and meet the urgent requirements for flood prevention and control, the Department of Construction proposed that the Ho Chi Minh City People's Committee allow the appointment of foreign consultants as recommended by the Embassy and Consulate General of the Netherlands.
The new project name is changed to Ho Chi Minh City Anti-Flooding and Wastewater Treatment Project for the period 2026 - 2060 and the Anti-Flooding and Wastewater Treatment Plan for the period 2026 - 2036.
The capital source for preparing the project uses the city budget for regular expenses, estimated at about 6.7 billion VND, with completion time in 2026.
According to the Department of Construction, after the merger, Ho Chi Minh City currently has 159 flooded points due to rain and high tides, of which Ho Chi Minh City area previously had 76 points, Binh Duong area had 52 points and Ba Ria - Vung Tau area had 31 points.
To handle it, in the period from now to 2030, Ho Chi Minh City needs to implement about 157 flood control projects with a total estimated capital of 348,000 billion VND. In 2026 alone, the capital demand is about 38,000 billion VND to implement 24 projects and handle 29 flooding points.
