Degradation in the Conditions of Urban Living and Health Problems Concerning the Inhabitants of Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, 1990. Ho Chi Minh City, ex-Saigon, was planned for only 500.000 inhabitants. In its 12 urban districts, it has, at present, a population of 3 200 00 people. Ho Chi Minh City is experiencing grave problems due to an unrelenting demographic pressure. The urban infrastructure and facilities (water supply ; drainage system for waste waters : garbage and human waste disposal) have become seriously degraded. As a result of the demographic pressure, the proportion of poor people who migrate from rural areas has increased : the slums have expanded. The poor are the first victims of the degradation in the urban environment. Contagious diseases are on the rise in the slums. We have limited our study of the urban environment to three components : water supply, evacuation of waste waters, disposal of garbage and human waste. Degradation of any of these three can have dramatic consequences on the health of the urban population. There is a serious shortage of drinking water in the slums : 15 to 20 liters per person, per day. The average water consumption in the 12 urban districts of Ho Chi Minh City is 60 liters per person, per day. In the rich quarters, the average is 100 to 130 liters per person, per day. The quality of the drinking water in the city is poor. Since the supply network is too obsolete, the proportion of lost water is high : 30 %. A drainage system exists only in the districts of the center. Many places are flooded during the rainy season. The river and canals are polluted by waste waters and garbage. A lot of toilets do not conform to hygienic norms. Under these conditions, contagious diseases such as dengue fever and intestinal ailments have increased. The main factors which have a deleterious effect on people's health are : a shortage of drinking water, a poor drainage system for waste waters, poor gathering and treatment of garbage, the existence of human waste in the canals, incredibly poor housing conditions. Various solutions have been proposed : financing, however, is not available. Therefore, for immediate measures, à policy of promoting local actions for urban community development would be useful.