Vietnam Water Market Insights

Source: Water & Sewerage / Overseas Construction Association Kim Hyo-eun

Vietnam의 눈부신 경제 성장은 모두가 아는 사실입니다. 하지만 그 화려한 성장의 이면에는 우리가 주목해야 할 또 다른 현실이 있습니다. 바로 ‘물 인프라’ 문제입니다. 풍부한 수자원을 가졌음에도 불구하고, 급격한 도시화와 산업화의 속도를 따라가지 못하는 낡은 수도 시설은 베트남이 반드시 해결해야 할 과제이자, 동시에 새로운 비즈니스 기회가 샘솟는 ‘블루오션’이기도 합니다.

What will Vietnam's water market look like in 2025? We've summarized the current state of Vietnam's water infrastructure and its future prospects based on the most up-to-date information available.

1. 베트남 물 시장 인프라의 ‘빛과 그림자’

💧 Abundant but unreachable water

베트남은 홍강과 메콩강 덕분에 수자원 자체는 풍부한 편입니다. 덕분에 도시 지역의 상수도 보급률은 95%(’23년 기준)까지 치솟았죠. 하지만 Penetration in rural areas still at 60% levelin the U.S., with a clear infrastructure gap between urban and rural areas.

🔧 Water supply with both improvements and challenges

The horrendous leakage rate of over 501 TP3T in the past has been reduced through ongoing pipeline improvement projects. Significantly improved to around 20-251 TP3T levelswhich is a remarkable achievement. But there's still a significant amount of water that's disappearing into the ground.

National water production has also increased to about 11 million cubic meters per day, but this is not enough to keep up with population growth and urban expansion in large cities like Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi. This is why there is a constant need to build new water treatment plants.

🌊 Urgent challenge, sewage treatment system

베트남 물 인프라의 가장 시급한 문제는 바로 ‘하수 처리’입니다.

• Urban sewage treatment penetration rate: Approx. 15% (’23년 기준). 대부분의 생활 하수가 정화 과정 없이 그대로 강과 하천으로 흘러 들어가고 있습니다.
• Industrial park wastewater treatment: Although new industrial parks are required to install wastewater treatment facilities, Only about 301 TP3T of existing industrial parks operate facilitiesand industrial wastewater issues are also significant.

The wastewater treatment capacity of about 1 million cubic meters per day is not enough to handle the amount of wastewater generated.

2. who manages it, and how does the money flow?

🏢 Complex management structure and low water tariffs in Vietnam's water market

Vietnam's water industry is structured so that the central government (Ministry of Construction, Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources) sets policy, while local governments (People's Committees) are responsible for actual operations. Water tariffs remain dependent on government subsidies, which keep them low and far below the cost of production.

In Ho Chi Minh City, water costs around VND15,000 (about $830) per cubic meterwhich is very affordable. Ironically, low-income residents without piped water often pay more for water through informal channels.

💳 The amazing changes digital transformation has brought about

과거와 가장 크게 달라진 점은 바로 ‘요금 징수’ 시스템입니다.

• Meter penetration: in big cities like Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City Water meter penetration is 901 TP3T or higherwhich is a significant increase.
• Contactless payments: The ubiquity of online payments through mobile banking, e-wallets (MoMo, ZaloPay), etc. has dramatically improved the efficiency of fare collection.

3. Vietnam's Blueprint for the Future: Investment Opportunities in Vietnam's Water Market

🤝 Beyond ODA to PPP

Until now, large-scale water treatment projects in Vietnam have relied heavily on Official Development Assistance (ODA) funding from Japan (JICA), Korea (KOICA), and the Asian Development Bank (ADB), but the government is now looking to reduce its reliance on ODA and, Actively attract foreign investment through public-private partnerships (PPPs)You're making a move.

🚀 2030 goal, huge market opens up

The Vietnamese government's goals are clear. To increase urban sewage treatment rates to 501 TP3T by 2030.

Achieving this goal will require massive investment in the trillions of dollars going forward. This represents a huge opportunity for those of us with the relevant skills and capital.

✨ Investment opportunities to watch

• Building large-scale water treatment facilities in large cities
• Customized wastewater treatment facilities and solutions for industrial parks
• Replacing and maintaining aging water mains
• Build an IoT-based smart water leak management system

베트남은 더 이상 낡은 인프라에 머물러 있지 않습니다. 디지털 전환을 통해 효율성을 높이고, PPP라는 새로운 성장 엔진을 장착하며 ‘맑은 물’을 향한 거대한 발걸음을 내딛고 있습니다. 베트남의 역동적인 변화 속에서 새로운 비즈니스 기회를 찾고 계신가요? 그렇다면 지금 바로 ‘물 시장’을 주목해야 할 때입니다.

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