Ho Chi Minh City partners with Japan to rehabilitate old sewers using trenchless technology

Nguyen Hoang Anh Dung, deputy director of the management board, said the city is currently facing flooding and water pollution in its rivers and canals.

Traffic accidents caused by road subsidence and potholes also remain a concern, while many drainage pipes have deteriorated after being built during the French colonial period.

The project builds on technical exchanges between Ho Chi Minh City and Osaka, Japan.

In 2015, Osaka worked with a consortium comprising the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) and Japanese private-sector companies to help Ho Chi Minh City develop a plan to rehabilitate old and deteriorated drainage pipes using trenchless technology and assess its effectiveness.

JICA and its partners successfully tested the trenchless sewer rehabilitation method over a 26.8-meter section at Quach Thi Trang Roundabout in what was then District 1 in 2015, Dung said.

Following approval, the project has now begun with a total investment of about VND467.5 billion (US$17.8 million). It covers 2.1 kilometers along Yersin, Cong Quynh and Cach Mang Thang 8 streets.

The project is funded by VND397.55 billion ($15.1 million) in non-refundable official development assistance and VND70 billion ($2.7 million) from the city’s budget.

Speaking at the contract signing ceremony, Ito Takashi, chief representative of the JICA Vietnam Office in Ho Chi Minh City, said he hoped the project would help improve the efficiency of rehabilitating and upgrading deteriorating infrastructure in Vietnam through Japan’s trenchless sewer rehabilitation technology.

The project will also facilitate technology transfer and improve the capacity of relevant agencies, helping gradually expand the application of trenchless technology in urban infrastructure projects.

JICA said it would continue strengthening cooperation with Vietnam to promote sustainable urban development and improve the living environment for residents.

“Rehabilitating deteriorated drainage systems in Ho Chi Minh City using trenchless construction technology will help prevent further deterioration of the drainage and wastewater networks in the city center.

“It will also reduce the risk of road subsidence and strengthen the area’s resilience to future risks and challenges,” Ito said.

Dau An Phuc, director of the Ho Chi Minh City Urban Infrastructure Construction Investment Project Management Board, assigned deputy director Nguyen Hoang Anh Dung and department leaders to provide full support to the contractor during project implementation.

Phuc also thanked the Japanese government and JICA leadership for providing resources to help Ho Chi Minh City improve its infrastructure and respond to climate change.