(QNO) - After four years of renovation and erosion control, a 2.3 km stretch of Hoi An's beachfront has been restored with white sand, and locals have reopened restaurants for tourists.
In mid-April, locals reset up huts and tables along the 2.3 km beach from Victoria Hoi An Beach Resort & Spa (Cua Dai ward) to Thinh My quarter (Cam An Ward), which faced severe erosion 4 years ago.Once ranked among Asia's top 25, Cua Dai beach had eroded since 2014, losing hundreds of meters each year.In 2016, the French Development Agency funded a study, leading the province to build an underwater breakwater and restore the beach with sand pumping.From June 2020 to September 2024, Quang Nam invested VND 550 billion in three projects to build a 2.3 km underwater breakwater.The breakwater, built 0.5 meters below sea level and 250 meters from the shore, has stopped further erosion after storms.Previously, locals used sandbags for the beach protection, but it was ineffective. Since the breakwater was completed and sand replenished, restaurant owners have reopened.Unlike the devastation of 2020, Cua Dai beach now has smooth white sand and a 100-meter stretch of fine sand.Foreign tourists had once shifted to An Bang due to Cua Dai's erosion, but now, they have started returning.In 2019, the beach was eroded, but now it's restored with hundreds of meters.In 2023, Thinh My beach eroded by 20 meters, but by September 2024, the area was restored. The concrete road, washed away in 2023, has now been reopened after the beach restoration.According to Nguyen Chau, a local resident, the breakwater now protects the beach, preventing further erosion. To safeguard the remaining coastline, Quang Nam has launched a 42-million-euro project, expected to be completed by 2026.
