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$200 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.

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.”