Da Nang suffers from flood

Hanoi and HCM City, the two largest cities, have seen heavy flooding after big downpours for the last 10 years. 

Most recently, Da Nang witnessed a historic flood. Vinh City in Nghe An province, the economic center of the northern central region, is in the same situation. It was classified as a first-class urban area 10 years ago.

Both Da Nang and Vinh Cities have experienced hot development recently with the population increasing and area expanding. The faces of the cities have changed rapidly with a series of investment projects.

The most evident proof is the land price escalation. In Vinh City, the land price increased by twofold just after three years. The land in some advantageous areas is priced at VND120 million per square meter.

Nguyen Khac Giang, an analyst, commented on Thoi Bao Kinh Te Sai Gon that the pace of urbanization in the cities has not been followed by appropriate infrastructure development. 

To tackle prolonged heavy rains, Da Nang authorities have dug ditches for water drainage, work which should have been done when planning city development. 

Meanwhile, in Vinh City, the only solution is running water pumps at full capacity.

“When disaster happens once, it is a misfortune. But if the flooding happens every year, this must be blamed on urban management,” he commented.

HCM City has spent trillions of dong to implement hundreds of projects to prevent floods. The road beds have been raised, while more water drainage outlets have been built in depression areas. 

The municipal authorities are considering building water reservoirs with Japanese cross-wave technology. The seven reservoir complexes would have a capacity of 1,500-20,000 cubic meters in the districts of Go Vap, Binh Thanh, Phu Nhuan, Tan Binh and 10.

However, the city said it still needs VND13 trillion more for projects under Program 752 and Program 1547 on flood prevention.

Vietnam is one of the countries with the fastest urbanization rate in Asia, 3.2 percent per annum. Just within 10 years, in 2000-2010, Vietnam surpassed Thailand and South Korea in terms of urban land area.

Vietnam ranks sixth in Asia in urban population, estimated at 33 million. About 60 percent of the population now lives in rural areas, but the figure is expected to drop in the near future.

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