Shocking fish die-off on Nhieu Loc - Thi Nghe Canal after heavy rain

After a major downpour, fish were found dead and gasping for air in Ho Chi Minh City’s most iconic canal.

An unusual and distressing scene unfolded this morning (May 8) along the Nhieu Loc - Thi Nghe Canal, often hailed as the most scenic inner-city waterway in Ho Chi Minh City, as millions of fish surfaced gasping for air and dead fish floated thick across the water’s surface.

water pollution hcmc.jpg — Millions of fish surface gasping for air in Ho Chi Minh City canal.

The incident occurred in the downstream section of the canal stretching through Districts 1, Binh Thanh, 3, and Phu Nhuan. For nearly 5 kilometers, from Thi Nghe Bridge (District 1) to Cong Ly Bridge (District 3), bloated dead fish could be seen drifting upstream toward Binh Tan District.

The areas with the highest density of dead fish were reported around Dien Bien Phu Bridge (District 1 to Binh Thanh), Hoang Hoa Tham Bridge, and Kieu Bridge (District 1 to Phu Nhuan). The affected fish included tilapia, red tilapia, and carp, many as large as an adult hand, mixed in with trash and floating water hyacinths.

water pollution hcmc1.jpg — Unsettling scene on Saigon’s scenic canal as fish suffocate en masse

water pollution hcmc2.jpg — Dead fish and foul stench plague Ho Chi Minh City’s Nhieu Loc Canal

Despite wearing masks, passersby were seen holding their noses due to the overwhelming stench emanating from the canal.

Nguyen Van Tuan, a local resident near Kieu Bridge, shared that after a heavy downpour the previous day, he discovered the disturbing sight during his morning exercise.

“After months of intense heat, toxic substances had built up in the sewers and on the roads. The rain likely washed them into the canal, causing severe pollution and killing the fish,” he explained.

This morning, the Ho Chi Minh City Urban Environment Company mobilized workers and vehicles to remove trash and dead fish from the canal’s surface.

water pollution hcmc5.jpg — Fish kills return to Nhieu Loc - Thi Nghe after first big seasonal rains

water pollution hcmc6.jpg — Heavy rain triggers pollution spike in Nhieu Loc - Thi Nghe Canal, killing thousands of fish.

Spanning nearly 10 kilometers through Districts 1, 3, Binh Thanh, Phu Nhuan, and Tan Binh before flowing into the Saigon River, the Nhieu Loc - Thi Nghe Canal was once the pride of urban beautification efforts, having undergone a major restoration more than a decade ago.

However, similar fish die-offs have occurred before. In 2016, environmental workers collected over 70 tons of dead fish from the canal. City authorities had to disperse tons of chemical treatments to remediate the water and advised the public not to use the dead fish for food or animal feed, and to avoid releasing fish into the water.

Since then, the city has spent heavily on restocking fish populations and applying localized water purification treatments. Yet with every early seasonal rain, fish kills and pollution continue to resurface.