Ho Chi Minh City is subsiding by around 2-5 centimeters annually, doubling that of sea level rise, according to research findings revealed at a recent seminar in the city.

The seminar, which focused on existing subsidence issues and their impacts on sustainable economic growth in the city, was hosted by Ho Chi Minh City University of Natural Resources and Environment on Friday.

At the event, the city’s Department of Natural Resources and Environment reported that citywide ground sinking has been ongoing since the 1990s.

According to a Japan International Cooperation Agency survey, the city’s subsidence rate ranges between two and five centimeters annually, with some commercial zones sinking by 7–8 centimeters yearly.

In 2013, the Vietnamese government tasked the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment with assessing national elevation benchmarks and flood prevention projects in Ho Chi Minh City.

Data comparisons between 2005 and 2014 indicated an average subsidence rate of 10 centimeters during 10 years, with some areas sinking even more.

Subsidence has hit various areas across the city, including the outlying district of Binh Chanh, southern Binh Tan District, District 8, western District 7, eastern District 12, northwestern Nha Be District, and parts of Thu Duc City – an administrative district under Ho Chi Minh City, with approximately 239 square kilometers of land being affected.

In Binh Tan’s An Lac Ward, the district’s cultural center recorded 73.3 centimeters of subsidence over ten years, and the Tan Tao Industrial Park sank 73.2 centimeters.

In Binh Chanh, its medical center in Tan Tuc Town subsided by 44 centimeters in the 10-year period.

The ministry continued to monitor the phenomenon of land subsidence in the city after 2014, with results showing that the subsidence rates in Binh Tan and Binh Chanh have risen to 81.8 centimeters and 48.8 centimeters, respectively.

Experts at the event attributed the city’s land subsidence to four main causes that are both natural and human-induced, including weak geological foundations, high traffic volumes, construction projects, and excessive groundwater extraction.

Research findings indicated that in areas with weak geological foundations, soil naturally subsides over time, even without human activity.

Commenting on the remaining three human-induced causes, the experts argued that areas with heavy traffic, especially trucks, experienced faster subsidence.

Besides, temporary sinking took place during the implementation of civil construction projects, but the ground would stabilize or experienced little subsidence afterward. 

Before 2010, groundwater extraction contributed significantly to subsidence, particularly in Go Vap District, Tan Binh District, District 12, Cu Chi District, and Hoc Mon District.

The city has since restricted groundwater extraction to prevent further land subsidence.

According to the Department of Natural Resources and Environment, the combination of subsidence, high tides, and rising sea levels has put the southern metropolis at risk of further widespread flooding that could disrupt its socio-economic growth and daily life.

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