Overwater stilt housing in Can Tho, Vietnam: distribution patterns and implications for development policy and master planning

International Development Planning Review (2014), 36, (4), 475–501.

DOI: https://doi.org/10.3828/idpr.2014.26
Language: English
Pages: 27

Abstract

Overwater stilt housing is widely distributed in Can Tho City along a complex network of channels that characterise the Mekong Delta region of southern Vietnam. In 2004, Can Tho City became the fifth centrally governed city in Vietnam, resulting in increased investment in infrastructure and a restructuring of the economy towards industrialisation and modernisation. Partly in response to this restructuring, overwater stilt housing in Can Tho has been removed and residents resettled elsewhere, and the policy intent is that this process should continue. This paper presents an analysis of the spatial patterns and the significance of overwater stilt housing in Can Tho City. Our results indicate that there are approximately 87 km of such housing lining channel banks in Can Tho City, housing an estimated 70,000 people, approximately 6 per cent of the city's population. Implications of the extent and distribution of overwater stilt housing for development policy and master planning in the rapidly changing city are explored.

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