Water infrastructure the world over is in need of an upgrade. Even in the U.S., where the quality of drinking water is high, some 2 trillion gallons of drinking water are lost to leaking pipes and water main breaks. And municipalities are still learning to address automation fundamentals.

In Vietnam, safe water is much scarcer. Last year, Ho Chi Minh City—the country’s most populated city—lost almost 30 percent of its potable water because of leaking and damaged pipes. In the midst of a massive urban project aimed at restoring the city’s water distribution network, Saigon Water Corp. (SAWACO) is deploying digital control and monitoring technologies from ABB along with integrated event management software from TaKaDu, a company focused on software for the water industry.