The juxtaposition is striking. On one side, modern, opulent high-rises; on the other, makeshift shacks teetering over a canal choked with waste. 

The Van Thanh Canal, stretching 1.5 km from Dien Bien Phu Bridge to the confluence with the Nhieu Loc - Thi Nghe Canal, runs through wards 19, 21, and 22 of Binh Thanh District. Once vital for drainage and flood control, it now struggles with severe pollution due to sedimentation and encroachment.

Residents along the canal endure deplorable living conditions. Piles of trash, including Styrofoam boxes, plastic bags, and various discarded items, form thick layers over the water. The stench is overwhelming, and large rats scurry along the rotten wooden beams supporting the homes.

Mrs. Nguyen Thi Hang, a 76-year-old resident, recalls a time when the canal's waters were clear, attracting tourists. Now, she and her family live amid the filth, their makeshift home constantly in need of repairs. "We've gotten used to it, but visitors can't stand the stench," she shares.

Mrs. Hang's family, consisting of more than ten people, lives together in a makeshift house, patching it up wherever it breaks, as they know the house is part of a renovation and relocation project.

Just a short distance away, Pham Hoang Tien, 51, uses a small boat to collect trash clogging the drainage near his home. He describes the canal's condition: "During high tide, it's manageable, but when the tide is low, the stench from the black, murky water is unbearable."

Many residents are hoping for fair compensation to escape this makeshift living situation.

Residents like Nguyen Thi Thuy, 59, face bureaucratic hurdles in making necessary repairs to their dilapidated homes due to pending relocation plans. Despite this, they yearn for fair compensation to escape their temporary living conditions. Thuy points to the heaps of trash accumulating behind her home, lamenting the constant battle to keep it clean.

Mrs. Thuy pointed towards a person who rows a boat daily to collect scrap along the Van Thanh canal and said, "I have to wear boots to wade in and push the trash away because if it's not cleaned, it stinks terribly. There are days when it's too much to handle, so I have to ask that old lady for help."

In April, the Van Thanh Canal's restoration was included in Ho Chi Minh City's key projects for the 2021-2025 period. The Department of Construction proposed a budget of approximately 6.2 trillion VND (about $270 million) for the canal's renovation, with plans to relocate 1,063 households by 2028.

Nguyen Hue