Work started on the embankments along both sides of the Can Tho River, a branch of the Hau River, a tributary of the Mekong River in Vietnam, in 2001.
Running 10 kilometers on both sides of the river, the embankment has cost VND2.7 trillion ($115.9 billion), including ODA loans from French Development Agency and counterpart capital from Can Tho.
The embankment is divided into several smaller projects yet until now, just one has been finished.
Two local men fish at a section at the foot of Hung Loi Bridge where work on the embankment has yet to commence.
According to the embankment's investor, Can Tho ODA Project Management Board, the project has been delayed due to inland acquisition and resettlement of evictees, along with the mobilization of equipment and staff under Covid-19 impacts.
A half-finished area of the embankment in front of Tan An Market in Ninh Kieu District.
Vendors have deliberately established pipes to get water from the river to clean their kiosks.
A section of the embankment in Tan An Ward has no barriers, posing a safety threat.
"The flood and storm season is approaching so we really hope the embankment will be finished soon," said local Tran Van Tam.
Another embankment section in Tan An Ward has been equipped with barriers, yet they lack screws to keep them fixed in position.
"People are all looking forward to the embankment being completed to minimize flooding caused by high tides," said local Nguyen Van Thanh.
Thanh said as the section has yet to be completed, "it is very dangerous for children to come here and play."
Stretching 5.2 kilometers, another embankment section through Ninh Kieu and Phong Dien districts was set to be finished last year but today, it is nowhere near done.
The cost to build the section has increased by VND280 billion from VND810 billion after delays.
Building materials are piled all over the place near a construction site.
The investor said it has not been able to clear a section of four kilometers as 143 households have yet to hand over their land amid a lack of relocation plans. Of these households, 11 trade in building materials.
An embankment section of 2.3 kilometers near Quang Trung Bridge in Cai Rang District was supposed to be finished in 2003, but has been left untouched.
The only section of the embankment that has been completed runs 4.78 km from Cai Rang Bridge to Quang Trung Bridge. Costing VND700 billion, it was built in 2010 and finished in four years.
"When this embankment was done we were so thrilled because we no longer had to live with floods or high tides," said Le Thi Thach while setting up tables and chairs to sell drinks and snacks.
Can Tho covers 1,140 square kilometers and includes a population of 1.2 million.
More than half the city has been suffering from flooding during heavy rains and high tides, with many downtown streets submerged under 0.2-0.6 meters of water.
Rising sea levels caused by climate change, rapid urbanization with too many buildings and infrastructure works built in a short period of time, along with over exploitation of groundwater, are the main factors driving the dilemma.
A 20-kilometer embankment to save Can Tho City from urban flooding has yet to be completed since 2001.
