Can Tho (VNA) – A World Bank (WB) delegation, led by Carlos Felipe Jaramillo, WB Vice President for the East Asia and Pacific, and Mariam J. Sherman, Country Director for Vietnam–Laos–Cambodia, visited Can Tho city on November 27 to survey progress under the Can Tho Urban Development and Resilience Project (WB3).
The project, with the Can Tho People’s Committee as the investor, has significantly reduced flood risks and improved living conditions for more than 420,000 residents. It comprises three components: flood control and environmental sanitation; development of an urban corridor; and strengthened climate-resilient urban management.
Tran Chi Hung, Vice Chairman of the municipal People’s Committee, thanked the WB for its financial support and ongoing procedures for assisting other projects in the locality on the time ahead. He noted that the third component of the WB3 project has produced clear results, improving floodwater control and drainage during heavy rain and high tides. He proposed consultation from WB specialists during the review and adjustment of the city’s overall urban plan.
The municipal ODA project management board recommended moving ahead with phase four to complete core urban infrastructure in the Binh Thuy area, including Binh Thuy, Long Tuyen and Thoi An Dong wards; enhance logistics and transport links; reduce flood risk in central areas; and improve connectivity between urban zones.
Sherman said a new programme is expected to run from 2026 to 2030, with Can Tho included as a beneficiary. The WB aims to design a broader initiative covering multiple urban areas nationwide and WB experts will continue working with Can Tho and other localities to develop the next phase, she added.
Jaramillo welcomed the progress made in flood mitigation but stressed that wider areas still require sustained intervention.
The project is jointly financed by the WB with up to 250 million USD and a 10-million-USD non-refundable grant from the Swiss State Secretariat for Economic Affairs (SECO), along with counterpart funding from the Vietnamese Government. Its goal is to build a climate-resilient and sustainable city that can drive socio-economic growth across the Mekong Delta, mitigate flood vulnerability in central Can Tho, and improve inter- and intra-regional transport connectivity.
The project also finances the construction of key urban transport routes, guiding development towards higher and safer ground and improving daily mobility for residents. It further strengthens the city’s climate resilience through systems such as the Flood Risk Management Information System (FRMIS), Spatial Planning Platform (SPP) and Integrated Social Assistance (ISA) system./.
