In 2021-2025, water quality in the city’s major rivers generally ranged from “moderate” to “very good” though conditions in both the Saigon and Dong Nai began deteriorating in 2024, according to findings outlined in the city’s 2026-2030 Surface Water Quality Management Plan for Urban Rivers and Lakes.
For the Saigon River, the water quality index (WQI) ranged from 57 to 93, or “moderate” to “very good,” between 2021 and 2023, but it began to worsen in 2024.
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The Saigon River in eastern Ho Chi Minh City. Photo by Read/Quynh Tran |
In 2024 and 2025, its ammonia content, a pollutant generated by the decomposition of organic matter and wastewater, exceeded national standards by 1.2 to 5.2 times.
The chemical oxygen demand (COD), an indicator of organic pollution, also surpassed permitted levels by 1.2 to 3.6 times, suggesting elevated concentrations of organic contaminants.
In canals and tributaries flowing into the Saigon River, the WQI ranged from 25 to 84, corresponding to “poor” to “good” water quality.
Some monitoring sites recorded ammonia concentrations of up to 87.8 times the regulatory limit, while COD exceeded standards by 12.3 times, indicating that large volumes of untreated domestic and urban wastewater continued to enter the network.
A similar trend was observed in the Dong Nai River, where WQI ranged from 74 to 98, also indicating moderate to very good quality. After improving between 2021 and 2023, the water quality declined over the next two years and progressively deteriorated from upstream.
Monitoring found ammonia concentrations exceeding standards by 1.2 to 1.7 times.
In 2024, COD levels at Long Phuoc, Binh An, and Hoa An exceeded permitted limits by 1.5 to 2.2 times.
In tributaries feeding the Dong Nai River, including Nhum Stream, Xuan Truong Stream, and Go Cong Canal, ammonia levels exceeded permitted limits by 35.6 times, and COD by more than 12 times.
Under its surface water management plan, HCMC has 19 sanitary protection zones surrounding surface water intake points for domestic water supply. The Tan Hiep, Thu Duc, Di An, Uyen Hung, and Thu Dau Mot waterworks all draw water from the Saigon and Dong Nai rivers.
The Saigon River, some 256 km long, is one of the city’s two primary sources of water for household and industrial use.
The Dong Nai, which runs 586 km, supplies numerous waterworks serving HCMC and the southeastern region.
Following the recent provincial reorganization, the city also manages several reservoirs and surface water sources used for water supply, including the Da Den, Song Ray, Da Bang, Kim Long, Suoi Nhum, Chau Pha, Xuyen Moc, and Suoi Giau reservoirs.
These continue to maintain very good water quality, meeting drinking water standards and serving as important backup water sources.
Now, the city generates 807,800 cubic meters of wastewater daily, all of which is discharged into the river and lake network.
In 2026-2030, the city aims to tighten control over wastewater discharges into rivers and lakes, manage water quality on a river basin basis, protect drinking water intake areas, strengthen monitoring and early warning systems, and gradually restore the quality of rivers and canals.
By 2030, Ho Chi Minh City targets collecting and centrally treating 80% of urban wastewater, while ensuring that 85-90% of monitoring sites across the Dong Nai River basin achieve at least moderate water quality.