Ho Chi Minh City canal dwellers await $330 million redevelopment amid squalor

In Ho Chi Minh City, the stark contrast between gleaming skyscrapers and the metro line and the impoverished conditions along the Văn Thánh canal highlights the urgent need for urban redevelopment. For over 1,000 households, life along the canal is a daily struggle against cramped, dilapidated housing and severe pollution.

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Then people moved in, houses were built on stilts, concrete was poured, gradually encroaching on the canal. The canal became clogged, and pollution overflowed.

Residents like 71-year-old Nguyễn Thị Mai, who has lived in the area for decades, recall a time when the canal was clean enough for children to swim. "Then people moved in, houses were built on stilts, concrete was poured, gradually encroaching on the canal. The canal became clogged, and pollution overflowed," she said, her voice filled with sorrow.

Mai's home, a modest 80-square-meter space, shelters three generations and 10 people. Every inch is utilized for sleeping, eating, and storage. The stench of waste from the canal permeates their lives, especially on hot days. "I try to cover it up, but I've lived here my whole life, so I just have to endure it," she lamented.

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I try to cover it up, but I've lived here my whole life, so I just have to endure it.

The desire for relocation is strong, but it's tempered by anxieties about where they will go and how they will earn a living. "Poor people in the neighborhood just want fair compensation," Mai stated, expressing a common sentiment among those hoping the long-awaited redevelopment project will finally bring them a better life.

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Poor people in the neighborhood just want fair compensation.