Heavy flooding imminent in Saigon following high tide

They say water levels in the Saigon River are set to rise 1.55 - 1.6 meters on these two days, with the tide peaking at 4-6 a.m. and again at 5-7 p.m.

The Southern Hydro-meteorological Center has warned that riverside and low-lying areas in the city, including the flood-prone Thao Dien in District 2 and District 7, home to the city's largest expat communities, will get flooded.

High tides in late September and early October reached peaks of 1.77 - 1.8 m, heavily flooding many areas in the city, and the experts are saying it can happen again.

The previous high tide peak was 1.72 m in 2017.

For several years now, it has been a common story for residents of HCMC, the country's biggest city and economic hub, that they have to wade through flooded streets with their vehicles and physically pour water out of their houses each time it rains heavily or high tides occur.

A major part of the city can lie below sea level in 50 years, turning it into a swamp, Laurent Umans, First Secretary for Water and Climate Change at the Netherlands Embassy in Vietnam, has warned.