VIETNAM’S WATER SUPPLY

1. RIVER SYSTEM IN VIETNAM

 Vietnam has an intricate river system, with more than 2,360

rivers with a length greater than 10 km and 109 main channels.

There are 16 major river basins with an average catchment area

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over 2,500km each .

 Vietnam’s two major river basins comprise two major deltas, the

Hong and Mekong Deltas, which are crucial for ensuring food

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security for the country .

2. WATER SUPPLY IN VIETNAM

 The water flowing into both the Hong and Mekong Deltas is

sourced from upstream transboundary rivers, so Vietnam does

not have complete control over how they are managed.

 This leads to a more complex situation than for water sources

from smaller national river systems. 

 Climate change, deforestation, mining and the construction of

hydro power dams also significantly impact the quality and

quantity of water resources in Vietnam and limit the total useful

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volume of water flows .

1
Department of Water Resource Management 2012. “Overview of Vietnam’s Surface Water”.
Accessed January 2018
2
Department of Water Resources Management, Series of 3 articles  on water resources fluctuations
 Water resources have become more scarce, particularly in the

dry season, where ponds and lakes have become depleted.

 River systems have been degraded by pollution and groundwater

reserves are declining due to over-exploitation and lack of

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effective management in some areas.

 In 2014, Ho Chi Minh city- VietNam’s largest economic center,

went through a major water crisis when the health ministry

discovered that the three largest water treatment plants in the

city failed to meet quality standards, including those related to

chlorine, manganese and iron levels. This meant that tap water

in certain areas of the western part of the city was contaminated

with several diarrhoea-causing bacteria species.4

 The 7 million people in Ho Chi Minh City receive 93% of their

drinking water from two treatment plants on the Dong Nai River

and the much smaller Sai Gon River, with the remaining 7%

coming from overexploited groundwater that is polluted by

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seawater intrusion and contamination.

3. SERVICE QUALITY

3
Assoc.Prof. Dr. Le Bac Huynh, Reduced water resources and the risk of water security in
Vietnam, 2013, accessed February 2018
4
Thu Hang,Thanh Ha”HCMC’s water supply, lifeblood of 13 million, faces serious problems” Vnexpress ,August
4,2022
5
"Water Resources Management in Ho Chi Minh City" (PDF). Sustainable Groundwater Management In Asian
Cities. IGES Freshwater Resources Management Project. 2007. pp. 69–78. Retrieved 30 May 2013.
 In early 2009 tests by the Vietnam Institute of Biotechnology

showed widespread contamination of municipal tap water,

including high levels of e-coli. Some tap water samples were also

contaminated with ammonia at levels that were 6–18 times

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higher than the allowed level.

 Following joint monitoring program WHO/UNICEF 2020 report,

Viet Nam is likely on track to achieve universal basic water and

sanitation services by 2030 with an increase at the annual rate

of 0.8% and 1.9%, respectively. 

 In 2020, there were 90% of the population with improved water

on their premises and 89% with improved sanitation facilities.

 However, there is a gap between urban, rural areas and among

regions. Nearly 2.5 million people in the rural areas cannot

access basic water, and 10 million people still cannot access

basic sanitation facilities, among which the majority live in rural

areas.

 Furthermore, COVID-19 has highlighted the urgent need to

ensure everyone can access good hand hygiene while almost

13.6 million people do not have handwashing facility with soap

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and water at home.

6
"VIETNAM: Even bottled water unsafe". IRIN. 17 April 2009. Retrieved 30 May 2013.
7
“World Water Week 2021: Meet our expert”UNICEF Viet Nam,20 August 2021