Heavy rains that swept through southern Vietnam in late September 2026 turned many arterial roads into rivers, halting traffic and prompting urgent calls for a systemic review of the city’s flood‑mitigation strategy.

According to the Center for Transport and Technical Infrastructure Management, on 30 September the 800‑metre stretch of Phan Huy Ich Street was under almost a metre of water.

Dr. Nguyen Huu Nguyen of the Ho Chi Minh City Association for Urban Planning and Development explains that the principal drainage pipes were originally sized for roughly 85 mm of rain over three hours and a peak tide of 1.32 m; recent events have delivered more than 100 mm of rain in just 45 minutes and tides reaching 1.75 m, far exceeding the design envelope.

The Construction Department adds that the aging pipe network is too narrow to convey the surge, while the adjoining canals have deteriorated and been encroached upon, further constraining hydraulic capacity.

Citywide, the Construction Department records 159 locations that flood frequently, of which 50 are classified as severe, underscoring the breadth of the vulnerability.

Dr. Nguyen Huu Nguyen also points to rapid urbanisation: expanding concrete surfaces diminish the soil’s natural infiltration, and the legacy of undersized pipes is aggravated by debris blockage, creating bottlenecks that delay water evacuation.

Assoc. Prof. Nguyen Phu Quynh, deputy director of the Southern Institute of Water Resources Research, notes that the VND10 trillion flood‑control network launched in 2016 remains unfinished, postponing the promised protection for about 6.5 million residents.

Together, these technical shortcomings, intensified precipitation and tidal regimes, and unchecked urban growth explain why the city’s flood‑control measures are increasingly outpaced by the forces they were meant to contain.