Vietnam is facing the challenge of trying to keep pace with increasing environmental pollution associated with rapid urbanization, especially in the larger cities. Over the past 20 years, the Government of Vietnam has made considerable effort to develop urban sanitation policies, legislations and regulations, and to invest in urban sanitation including wastewater treatment systems. This study is one of three country studies conducted in the emerging countries of Vietnam, the Philippines, and Indonesia as part of the East Asian urban sanitation review. It reviews the effectiveness of the wastewater sector in Vietnam and makes recommendations to the Government on actions to scale up the sector to improve its performance. Lessons that emerge from this study can be considered for the on-going and or the next generation of wastewater systems.

Vietnam is facing the challenge of trying to keep pace with increasing environmental pollution associated with rapid urbanization, especially in the larger cities. Over the past 20 years, the Government of Vietnam has made considerable effort to develop urban sanitation policies, legislations and regulations, and to invest in urban sanitation including wastewater treatment systems. This study is one of three country studies conducted in the emerging countries of Vietnam, the Philippines, and Indonesia as part of the East Asian urban sanitation review. It reviews the effectiveness of the wastewater sector in Vietnam and makes recommendations to the Government on actions to scale up the sector to improve its performance. Lessons that emerge from this study can be considered for the on-going and or the next generation of wastewater systems.

This Review, undertaken by the World Bank Water & Sanitation Program, is provided at the request of the Ministry of Construction of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam with the objectives of (a) Providing guidance/recommendations concerning the reform proposals of state owned enterprises operating in the field of water supply and urban sanitation and (b) Providing guidance/recommendations concerning economic management options for service providers. It will be important to ensure that these reforms are undertaken in an explicitly poor-inclusive manner. The Review achieves these objectives through a review of the current situation, are view of progress on the reform agenda and presentation of potential options for improvement of the urban water and waste sector in Vietnam.