Ho Chi Minh City moves to set public tap drinking water quality standards

The city government has issued a decision to establish a drafting board and a supporting team tasked with drawing up local technical regulations on the quality of tap drinking water supplied at public drinking fountains, said Dr. Nguyen Minh Hoa, former head of the Faculty of Urban Studies at the University of Social Sciences and Humanities under Vietnam National University–Ho Chi Minh City.

The drafting board brings together representatives from relevant city departments across health, science and technology, construction, industry and trade, agriculture and environment, along with the Ho Chi Minh City Center for Disease Control, the Ministry of Health's National Institute of Occupational and Environmental Health, and state-owned Saigon Water Corporation (Sawaco).

The move underscores the city’s intention to make drinking water directly from the tap a key objective in its strategy to build a green and civilized city while enhancing its appeal to tourists.

In many developed countries across Europe and North America, as well as in parts of Asia such as Japan and Singapore, tap drinking water is widely used and has delivered substantial benefits to both residents and public authorities, Dr. Hoa said.

This model provides greater convenience, as people can access drinking water throughout the city without boiling or additional treatment.

It also helps save energy, reduce reliance on household appliances such as electric kettles and secondary filtration systems, cut plastic waste from bottled water, and lower costs for tourists, workers, and households.

Dr. Hoa noted that Sawaco had installed 27 pilot public tap drinking fountains by the end of 2025, mainly in central areas and locations with large numbers of residents and visitors.

As Ho Chi Minh City is the first locality in Vietnam to pilot this type of public service, Sawaco has temporarily applied national standards for bottled drinking water to the fountains operating in the city center.

The fountains are equipped with advanced filtration systems certified to NSF61 standards in the U.S., and their operations are monitored through dedicated software.

Qualified service providers are contracted to carry out regular cleaning, disinfection, water quality sampling, and periodic replacement of filter cartridges.

As national regulations are still pending, Ho Chi Minh City needs to establish local technical standards for the quality of tap drinking water at public drinking fountains to strengthen quality control and make it easier for investors to enter this high-potential sector, Dr. Hoa suggested.

Beyond tourist hotspots and busy public spaces, he said the city could also consider expanding access to tap drinking water to hospitals, schools, government offices, corporate workplaces, apartment buildings, and new urban developments such as Phu My Hung, Van Phuc, Vinhomes, and the Can Gio coastal urban area.

A cooperation model between Sawaco and the Jasmine apartment building in the Ha Do complex, which supplies tap drinking water directly to residents, is often cited as a successful example.

It highlights the potential to move beyond isolated public fountains toward controlled, community-based tap drinking water systems.

Ho Chi Minh City aims to welcome 61 million visitors in 2026, including 11 million international tourists and 50 million domestic travelers, with the total expected to rise to 100 million by 2035.

To provide free tap drinking water for visitors and gradually expand the model across the city, authorities need to mobilize stronger financial resources, advanced technologies, and international partnerships alongside Sawaco, as part of a broader vision for a green, plastic waste–free, and highly livable city, Dr. Hoa said.