In addition to surface water sources like rivers and the sea, people in Vietnam also use water from inside the ground. My friend, Ly Da, told me that when she was a kid, she and her family would collect rainwater to drink, use for bathing, to cook and to clean things. She also told me that she knew other families who at that time (more than twenty-five years ago) used to collect water from the river near her house and use that water for similar purposes. However, as the river there got more and more polluted over the years, people have stopped using the water from the river. Now that drinking water can be bought in plastic bottles and delivered around the country to people's homes and workplaces in large plastic jugs too, people do not collect rainwater to drink and use as frequently anymore. The water that people in Soc Trang and throughout Vietnam drink comes from natural sources, but the water has to be treated, or specially cleaned, before people can drink it. In most homes, businesses, offices and schools, the water that runs in the bathrooms and kitchens is safe enough that people can use it to wash their hands or take baths and showers, but this water should not be consumed because it will make people sick. In some rural areas of the country, places that are far from major cities and towns, finding water that is safe to drink and use is more difficult. Therefore, clean and safe water is an ongoing need in communities throughout Vietnam, including Soc Trang.
