One of the challenges in using poly(lactic acid) (PLA) as a drug delivery device is its lack of active functional groups and its hydrophobic nature. Therefore, a simple and feasible hydrolysis treatment using sodium hydroxide (NaOH) and hydrochloric acid (HCL) at different concentrations and treatment durations was utilized to modify the PLA microspheres' surface hydrophobicity. In this research, we report the chemical and morphological changes of surface-engineered PLA microspheres/films with regard to its integrity as a drug delivery carrier. After the hydrolysis treatment, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy results confirmed that there were chemical changes in the surface-engineered PLA microspheres as they changed from being hydrophobic to hydrophilic; additionally, an increase in -OH functional group was also detected. This change is also indicated by the increase in hydrophilicity of the bulk surface as illustrated by XPS analysis, contact angle, and zeta potential measurements. These results suggest that the hydrolysis treatment is a feasible way to change the surface properties of PLA microspheres to become more compatible with biological environment and to increase the amount of active functional sites. However, the bulk morphology changed from smooth to porous structure after 48 h and started to degrade after prolonged hydrolysis treatment. Thus, this work underlines the importance of controlling the hydrolysis treatment so as not to compromise the bulk morphology and integrity of PLA microspheres while enhancing its hydrophilicity.