00:04 Vietnam is among the top 5 countries most vulnerable to climate change.
00:09 Within it,
00:10 Gunte,
00:11 gateway to the Mekong Delta,
00:13 has been ground zero for the impacts of rising tides and sinking land.
00:18 Twice a month,
00:19 tidal flood.
00:20 Floods surged through its low lying neighborhoods,
00:23 causing more than $200 million US dollars in damages annually.
00:28 Flooding not only disrupted livelihoods and damaged property,
00:33 for some families,
00:34 it cut off access to basic needs.
00:38 How.
00:57 In 2016,
00:58 with support from the World Bank and the government of Switzerland,
01:02 Gunte launched an ambitious urban development and
01:06 resilience project to change this reality.
01:09 Over eight years,
01:10 the project constructed a comprehensive flood protection system,
01:15 5.2.
01:16 Kilometers of embankments along the Gunte and Kai Luong Rivers,
01:20 10 tidal sluice gates,
01:22 2 boat locks,
01:24 including the Kaihay lock,
01:26 and drainage improvements on 32 inner city roads.
01:30 The system faced its first major test in late 2023.
01:40 Yeah,
01:41 he like
01:51 Today
01:52 flood defenses are protecting 2700 hectares in Gunta's urban core,
01:58 keeping some 420,000 residents dry.
02:04 For residents long used to knee-deep water,
02:07 the difference was dramatic.
02:31 But flood protection was only part of the plan.
02:35 To reduce long term risk,
02:37 planners turned to connectivity.
02:39 The project supported the second span of the Guang Cheng Bridge
02:43 and another 600 m span for the Qinhuang Na Bridge.
02:47 Together with 5.3 kilometers of new and upgraded roads,
02:52 these links are reducing congestion and expanding access to higher,
02:57 safer areas for future growth.
03:12 Residents say these improvements are reshaping daily life.
03:16 Beyond infrastructure,
03:18 the project introduced 3 integrated digital platforms
03:22 to make the city more responsive.
03:24 The flood Risk Management Information System.
03:39 The spatial planning platform
03:41 consolidates data from across departments to support decision making.
03:46 And thirdly,
04:00 the integrated social assistance system
04:02 overlays flood data with information on the city's most vulnerable communities.
04:08 Together,
04:09 these platforms are changing how Gunta plans,
04:13 responds,
04:14 and protects its citizens.
04:16 Backed by a $250 million US dollar loan from the World Bank
04:21 and a $10 million US dollar grant from Switzerland,
04:25 the Gunta Urban Development and Resilience Project.
04:28 Brought together local leadership
04:30 and international expertise
04:33 to deliver lasting impact for the city.
04:36 What we see here is where you bring together
04:38 the infrastructure,
04:39 finance,
04:40 the technology,
04:41 and the human capacity and upgrading of skills and experience
04:45 to make a difference for many years to come.
04:48 Yet the project presents only a foundation that
04:51 needs to be maintained and built upon.
04:54 The area that is covered by this project only covers a small part of the city.
04:59 The people's Committee,
05:00 the leaders of the city will have to continue to acquire
05:05 new.
05:05 Good smart project to make the city
05:09 climate resilient in the future.
05:11 It's no good just building the infrastructure
05:12 if you don't build the whole ecosystem.
05:15 This is a city.
05:15 It's a growing city.
05:16 It's attracting
05:18 other investment,
05:19 and I hope we can continue to support them in the future.
05:23 From flood control to future vision,
05:25 Gunta is proving what's possible
05:28 when cities lead
05:30 and partnerships deliver.
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STORY HIGHLIGHTS
- Can Tho City, a major Mekong Delta hub, once endured chronic flooding that cost the economy an estimated US$300 million annually.
- The World Bank–funded Can Tho Urban Development and Resilience Project built flood defenses protecting 420,000 residents across 2,500 hectares of the urban core and added/upgraded bridges to steer growth to higher, safer ground.
- The project integrated physical defenses with advanced digital systems—supported by a Swiss grant—to enable data-driven risk management and disaster response for local authorities.
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For Pham Thi Thuy Yen and her neighbors in Cai Khe Ward, flooding long dictated the rhythm of daily life. Twice a month, tidal surges would swell the Can Tho River, sending water rushing into their low-lying homes and streets with unnerving speed—sometimes in less than an hour. The floods brought not just water; they also brought garbage, dead fish, and the lingering stench of decay.
Life paused until the waters receded, a process that could consume half a day. “I could only go grocery shopping or to visit the doctor after the flooding subsided,” Yen recalled. Normalcy was suspended.
Her community sits in a coastal area of Can Tho City, a major urban center in Viet Nam’s Mekong Delta. The delta is acutely vulnerable to climate change, ranking among the top four areas in the world most threatened by sea-level rise. Flooding was not an occasional disaster but a chronic stressor—a constant, low-grade tax on well-being and economic activity that cost the city an estimated US$300 million a year.
When the Can Tho River swelled, as expected, in October 2023, residents braced for the familiar inundation. This time, however, the water stayed out. The city’s new drainage and defense system passed its first significant test, as tidal sluice gates held back the encroaching river.
The transformation was the result of the Can Tho Urban Development and Resilience Project. Backed by a $250 million loan from the World Bank and implemented between 2016 and 2024, the initiative constructed a flood-defense system along the Can Tho and Khai Luong rivers to shield the city’s urban core, an area covering some 2,700 hectares. The key components—tidal sluice gates, ship locks, upgraded canals, and improved river embankments—were combined with elevated roads to form a protective “ring embankment.”
The project treated flooding not just as an engineering challenge but as part of a broader urban development strategy. Planners recognized that easing pressure on the flood-prone urban core required better connecting it to safer, higher ground, particularly to the south. Consequently, the project funded the construction of two major bridges, the Quang Trung and Tran Hoang Na bridges, aiming to make southern areas more attractive for settlement and development.
The impact is already palpable, according to Vo Hoang Nga, a community leader in the Xuan Khanh Ward in the city’s Ninh Kieu District. “It’s now easier for people on both sides to get around and do business,” he said. “It used to take at least an hour to cross the river, and accidents happened all the time.” He noted that residential areas across the river, which were once difficult to access, are now developing and attracting more residents.
Beyond preventing flood damage, the project helped bolster economic stability for businesses and reduce public health risks associated with contaminated floodwaters. And some new infrastructure serves dual purposes: Embankments double as parks and pedestrian walkways, enhancing the urban landscape.
Officials report that chronic flooding has been reduced significantly in the core urban area, where seasonal high water once inundated up to half the built-up zones. More than 420,000 residents in the protected areas remained dry during recent rainy seasons.
“Residents of Can Tho City strongly support the project and are delighted with the results,” said Nguyen Thuc Hien, former vice chair of the municipal People’s Committee.
Beyond concrete and steel, the project broke new ground in Viet Nam by integrating physical defenses with sophisticated digital systems, supported by a $10 million grant from the Swiss State Secretariat for Economic Affairs. A new Flood Risk Management Information System (FRMIS) deploys 60 sensors at flooding hotspots, creating real-time monitoring capabilities that feed into a central command center with remote flood control capabilities. The system also runs simulations using historical data and weather forecasts, enabling authorities to anticipate flooding events.
Complementing the FRMIS is a new Spatial Planning Platform, which integrates data from various municipal departments. This platform provides a comprehensive overview for decision making related to urban planning, disaster risk management, and public service provision. Its Integrated Social Assistance system is designed to quickly activate support for vulnerable residents during disaster events.
00:00 Guntou City,
00:01 with support from the World Bank and the Swiss government,
00:04 has developed the integrated social assistance or ISA system,
00:09 a first of its kind model in Vietnam.
00:13 What sets ISA apart,
00:14 it's its ability to connect population and household data
00:18 with real-time flood data.
00:20 The city's existing social assistance database
00:23 stores detailed information on households,
00:26 including poverty status,
00:28 eligibility for social welfare programs,
00:31 and location.
00:33 Meanwhile,
00:34 the Flood Risk Management Information System
00:37 or FRMIS continuously updates real-time flood
00:41 data from sensors installed at key flood prone areas throughout the city.
00:47 By linking these two data sources,
00:49 the ISA system can quickly pinpoint at-risk households located in flooded areas.
00:57 When a flood occurs,
00:58 the system will
01:00 auto generate a list of households in need of aid
01:04 based on the flood depth and duration,
01:07 estimate the appropriate support plan based on available resources,
01:11 or recommend options to mobilize additional resources.
01:15 In addition,
01:17 officials can verify,
01:18 check and update the flood status for
01:21 each household via mobile or web applications.
01:25 The integrated system allows local authorities
01:28 to keep track of affected households,
01:31 estimate resource needs,
01:32 and make fast,
01:34 effective support decisions.
01:38 ISA links directly to the payment system,
01:41 allowing support to be transferred immediately to
01:44 affected households via bank accounts or e-wallets.
01:49 What once took days from identifying flood affected households to delivering aid
01:55 now takes just minutes,
01:56 ensuring timely and accurate support.
02:02 Currently,
02:03 ISA stores information on nearly 100,000 households in Guntou.
02:09 Including 10,000 poor and near poor households,
02:13 over 40,000 households with members eligible for social welfare assistance.
02:18 Built on the city's current social assistance system,
02:21 ISA can be easily scaled up in both coverage and support level,
02:26 making it applicable for responding to other shocks such as droughts,
02:30 storms,
02:31 saltwater intrusion,
02:32 and epidemics.
02:34 The system not only helps protect people more effectively,
02:38 but also supports their rapid recovery,
02:40 moving towards a safer and more resilient future.
02:44 The integrated Social Assistance System ISA is a testament to
02:48 Ko's innovation and commitment to protecting the well-being of its citizens
02:52 from the growing impacts of climate change.
02:55 This achievement is the result of the close collaboration
02:58 between the Swiss State Secretariat for Economic Affairs,
03:01 SECCO,
03:02 the World Bank and the People's Committee of Guntou City
03:05 under the Gunte Urban Development and Resilience Project.
Mariam J. Sherman, the World Bank Division Director for Viet Nam, Cambodia, Lao PDR, said the project exemplified how large-scale financing, global expertise, and partnerships could improve urban resilience and livability “in a way that makes a difference for many years to come.”
“This is a growing city,” she added. “We hope we can continue to support it in the future.”
Thomas Gass, the Swiss Ambassador to Viet Nam, observed that tackling complex challenges like Can Tho’s flooding requires more than just erecting physical barriers. “It’s also the smartness of the system,” he said. “These systems address not only climate vulnerabilities but also social vulnerabilities, ensuring the city’s response to any climate challenge is people-centered—one that respects and responds to the actual vulnerabilities of its residents.”
The project is a vital first step, but its protections cover only a fraction of the city, underscoring the scale of the challenge ahead. Long-term success, Ambassador Gass highlighted, depends on maintaining systems, training people, and mobilizing support “to make the city climate resilient in the future and allow the people and the economy to thrive under adverse conditions.”
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