“Collect, treat, distribute” is the typical urban water distribution model in high-income countries. Depending on where water is collected and how it is treated, about eighty percent of the energy use in this model is spent on distribution. Distribution systems consist of pipe networks, often thousands of kilometers long, that systematically have to be pressurized for two primary reasons. First, sufficient pressure is needed for fire safety to ensure enough pressure in fire hydrants. Second, leaks are inevitable in water distribution systems and sufficient pressure is needed to ensure that any water leaks out of a system, preventing any potentially contaminated groundwater from entering it. Ensuring this constant pressure requires excessive amounts of energy. Moreover, aging pipe systems are more vulnerable to breaks under high pressure. To find an alternative solution, we can learn from Hanoi, the capital of Vietnam, where every building is equipped with a basement tank, a rooftop tank, and a secondary treatment system at the faucet. The basement tank ensures that water reaches the household even when pressure is low. Water is then pumped to the rooftop tank so that no electricity is needed to distribute water in the household—only gravity is used. Finally, a secondary treatment process is installed before selected faucets to ensure high (generally potable) water quality. While the model used in Hanoi is not perfect, it provides some alternative ideas. In this presentation, I will describe and discuss the pros and cons of the current urban water distribution model in high-income countries and the one used in Hanoi and open up the discussion to invite others to contribute ideas.