Reminiscing my early years and life in Saigon City, and the recent visits as adult, I strongly vouch for the argument that “water is life”, not in the literal meaning parse, but rather in the opportunity it offers to make life enjoyable. Visiting Saigon City without recognizing and appreciating the opportunities presented by its water resources, such as taking a boat ride along the much larger Dong Nai River, the smaller Sai Gon River, or into the deeper depths of South Shina Sea, is a kin to a crime. This high octane city that is the center commerce and culture is full of pulsating energy that driven Vietnam forward over the years. At first sight, it may appear to be a chaotic whirlpool, but soon one realizes Saigon City bustles with life and vitality that people settling here and visitors cannot help but be carried along. Part of this owes to the proximity of the city to water. Saigon City is infused by delta-like water features in addition to the rivers that permeate it, acting not just as a source of livelihood, but also as drivers of economy and recreation (Le Vo, 2007).
Famously known to locals and outsiders alike as Ho Chi Minh City (HCMC), Saigon City has an estimated population of 10 million people that is projected to increase to at least 14 million people by 2025. Founded in as Gia Dinh in 1698, the city was renamed HCMC in 1976 but has also retained its Saigon name. Saigon, the biggest city in Vietnam, is located at the crossroads of international maritime routes, and serves as the transport hub of the southern region because of its largest port system. For outsiders, Saigon is just another urban city the meets criteria of developing cities in the world, but for locals, the city is more endearing, especially through its water resources. I remember when I was seven, just before I left Vietnam for America, when I went with my uncle for a fishing trip, which turned out to be more of an expedition along Dong Nai River. We woke up early at dawn when the sun’s rays were just piercing through thin layer of clouds that covered long stretches of the sky. From a distance, one could only gesticulate at the scene the rays created when they bounced of the glittering water surfaces of the river and the sea. Now I recall the seen and wonder whether the “Pearl of the Far East” nickname given to Saigon city refers to its breathtaking iconic beauty at such moments or its state as an economic hub of the region.
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Either way, our fishing trip proved to be rather uneventful. We cast out net over ten times and managed only to catch two fish. At the time my uncle explained that fish catches have dwindled with time as the city developed, a situation that raised concerns among those whose livelihood depended on fishing. My uncle talked of opening a different business in town to sustain his family because the future of fishing was bleak in this town. As if on cue to corroborate my uncle’s assertions, we encountered a group of other fishermen motoring their boats downstream towards the hot spots where fish catches were handsome, but they also complained of the future of the fishing industry. Some had caught naught since they ventured into the river in the early hours of the day. The trip turned out to be visits from one hot spot to another, sometimes maneuvering dangerously in shallow silted waters or river bends. By noon when we had had our packed breakfast and ready to head home, we had caught less than a dozen medium sized fish, which my uncle observed to be less than a fifth of what he would get on a good day out.
However, other industries in Saigon City have reaped the benefits of economic growth. Mining, seafood processing, agriculture, tourism, and trade industries to which the city’s economy is dependent have prospered because of available water resources. Water transport is a common phenomenon in Saigon city. By virtue of location on the Saigon River, HCMC has become a bustling commercial and passenger port with a constant stream of cargo ships and passenger boats operating between various Saigon and various destinations in Southern Vietnam and Cambodia. The availability of canal routes such as the Doi and Te Canals to the Mekong Delta has increased water traffic significantly, translating to over 100,000 vehicles annually and 13 million tons of cargo. In the last few years, a proposal to dredge Saigon City’s water routes was approved to facilitate water transport.
However, not all sectors have benefited from the use of water resources in Saigon city. When growing up we could swim in the rivers and canals and though at the time people still drank water directly from the source, there were concerns that water sources were increasingly becoming contaminated. Having stayed in San Jose (US) since I was eight, I am used to drinking directly from the tap. I was given a reality check when I recently visited my folks back in Saigon city. When at my uncles, I took a glass and went to the tap to every one’s disapproval. “If you are thirsty, there is boiled water in the distemper in the living room,” my aunt advised. Later I realized that concerns about the quality of tap water in Saigon city have escalated as new data shows that water is being sourced from contaminated sources (Thanh Nien News, 2016). The “Pearl of the Far East” is experiencing unparalleled economic growth but is slowly poisoning its inhabitants through unsafe drinking water.
To understand the immensity of the problem, over 10 million people in Saigon city get 93% of their water supply from tow treatment plants on the Dong Nai River and San Goi River, and the remaining 7% from underground water. The latter is contaminated and polluted at concentrations 10 times higher than the recommended standard (van Leeuwen, Dan, & Dieperink, 2015). Bacterial pollution has been documented in all surface water sources across Saigon city, probably attributed to the 1.3 million cubic meters of household sewage waste discharged daily, of which only 14% is appropriately collected and treated with the rest ending up untreated in the respective rivers and canals. Industrial waste water has also been identified as a leading water source pollutant in the city (Thanh Nien News, 2016). It is evident that Saigon folks are paying a steep price in exchange of the city’s economic prosperity. The city’s progress to industrialization is unmatched as evidenced by the emergence of new urban areas, transport lines, industries and support sectors including banking and education. While these developments provide a ray of hope for people like my uncle whose source of livelihood (fishing) has progressively faced depletion because they can get jobs, the overall impact on water resources is significantly negative. It is important to understand that Saigon city is not under a threat of water shortage, the two rivers provide enough water for residents, industries, and services, who are the main users. However, the city’s tropical wet and dry climate is divided into wet and dry seasons and domestic water supply competes with agriculture during dry years exceeding water availability. Groundwater, which is polluted by seawater intrusion and contamination, is not sustainable for use in agriculture, nor is it for drinking. As a result, the Pearl of the Far East faces urgent water challenges which are outcomes of climate change, population growth, urbanization, and pollution (van Leeuwen, Dan, & Dieperink, 2015).
However, the challenges have not prevented the city from living up to its nickname “Pearl of the Far East.” The challenges faced by the city have served to inspire more development to accommodate the increasing demands of the growing population and foreign investors. Intel is one of the foreign direct investments in Vietnam with over $1 billion factory in the Saigon city. The efforts have opened open the city to global access with Tân Sơn Nhất International Airport, the largest airport in the country that serves the HCMC recording over 15.5 million arrivals and departure in a year from 2010. Bestowed with magnificent and luxurious facilities such as the Rex and Caravelle Hotels; historical monuments, museums, and relics such as the Saigon Notre Dame Cathedral, the Reunification Palace, Municipal Theater, and the Cu Chi Tunnels; a host of other recreational areas; and massively networked transport networks within the city such as the metro system, the expressway, and private transport such as the cyclos, which allow for longer and relaxed trips, Saigon city has experienced unprecedented influx of tourists. It is approximated that of the over 4.3 million tourists who visited Vietnam a decade ago, 70% of them visited HCMC.
While Saigon city continues to interest many international tourists, every effort is necessary to prevent it from losing its allure to the local folks and subsequently its status as the Pearl of the Far East. People like my uncle who previously depended on fishing may have found alternative sources of livelihood, but the importance of a balance ecosystem to which the rivers and canal are crucial components cannot be understated. The city cannot continue to supply its inhabitants with polluted and contaminated water for drinking because one way of another the effects will materialize in the future rendering useless all the gains made. Some of the most prosperous cities in the world have been defined by their ability to ensure sustainable supply of the precious resource that is water, and Saigon city cannot afford to commit the unforgivable crime of thinking water is only important as long as it is available for transport and industrial use.
References
Le Vo, P. (2007). Urbanization and water management in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam-issues, challenges and perspectives. GeoJournal , 70 (1), 75-89.
Thanh Nien News. (2016, Apr). Here's why you shouldn't drink that tap water in Ho Chi Minh City. Retrieved 5/05/2017 from: http://www.thanhniennews.com/society/heres-why-you-shouldnt-drink-that-tap-water-in-ho-chi-minh-city-61348.html.
van Leeuwen, C. J., Dan, N. P., & Dieperink, C. (2015). The challenges of water governance in Ho Chi Minh City. Integrated Environmental Assessment and Management , 9999 (9999), 1-8.
