Eve Troeh

Riding southwest from Saigon, the visible landscape of the Mekong delta appears immediately similar to the Mississippi delta. Green plants are everywhere, cut through with muddy water. Of course the tropical climate of Vietnam means there are coconut palms and other exotic plant life.

A major challenge of the working delta is controlling the mix of freshwater and saltwater, both on a wide scale and on an individual farm scale. The canals serve as dividing lines, as do a series of sluice gates.

Vietnam’s Ho Chi Minh City, also known as Saigon, has become an Asian mega-city. And it’s surrounded and defined by water. Districts here are often separated by bridges, crossing one of the many rivers that run through the city on their way to the Mekong Delta. It’s a bustling place, as you’d expect with eight million or so residents (and growing). Rush hour brings an onslaught of motorbikes and cars, flowing like their own river through the city.

Disasters are causing more and more damage, and the federal government is spending more and more money to rebuild afterwards.

But before the construction crew can begin repairs, homeowners face months-long delays and poor customer service in the preliminary stages of the application process. Some homeowners even complain that the rebuilding process has become as traumatic as the storm itself.