The city’s drainage system was designed for 85.3 mm of rain in three hours and a tidal level of 1.32 m. Recent storms have exceeded these limits, while urbanisation, undersized drains and tidal backflow further cut capacity.

When water lingers, businesses are forced to close, goods are damaged, traffic is paralyzed and deliveries are delayed. These effects reach beyond the flooded streets, hurting incomes and the flow of daily activities.

Do Phu Tran Tinh, acting director of the Institute for Policy Development and Leadership Capacity at Vietnam National University, HCMC, says success should be measured by reductions in economic losses and improvements in residents’ quality of life, not merely by spending amounts or pipe length. Evaluating projects with those criteria would show whether the massive investment truly eases the hardships caused by floods.

In short, the city’s current flood‑control approach can still disrupt residents and businesses unless its results are judged by real economic and social outcomes. Better evaluation is needed to ensure the billions spent translate into safer, more reliable daily life.