Detail Abstract

The curious case of UPGRADING OF THE TAN HOA LO GOM CANAL in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam

Abstract

This study presents a case study about a successful flooding control and urban upgrading project. Vietnam is a sample of rising stars in Southeast Asian, attended by uplifting millions of families out of poverty. Many canals are in the Ho Chi Minh City, one known as Tan Hoa – Lo Gom canal appeared to be the most heavily polluted.<br> This article aims to evaluate the impact of interventions to improve living conditions in the case of the Tan Hoa-Lo Gom Canal Sanitation, implemented in Ho Chi Minh City from 2000 to 2015. The main concern is about the willingness of the poor, especially in supporting them to maintain and develop their livelihood through socio-economic support programs provided for households who were affected by slum clearance and participation of communities.<br> This research figured out that the bottom-up approach makes better project implementation and management. This way not only sets the poor resident in the central platform but also is helps the poor deal with daily life difficulties. We found that the project has given a significant improvement to the people and stakeholders: - The resettlement program allowed people to progress from being slum dwellers with virtually no legal status to official home-owning residents. - A social housing project developed a mechanism to finance the operation and maintenance of the buildings in a sustainable way. Residents run and maintain the apartment blocks themselves, with their management board and regulations.<br> Besides, the study debates that despite remarkable successes of the project, gradual replacement of the poor at the post-project is unavoidable if there is no suitable strategy in restoration and generation income from local government and other stakeholders.