Posted on June 22, 2026
The area around the mouth of Phan Thiet Port is being silted up.
As one of the major fishing grounds, Lam Dong has many ports, but most are silted up, becoming a constant source of worry. The most “heartbreaking” story is that of La Gi fishing port, which has become a “death trap” for many fishing boats, causing numerous accidents and casualties. At the time, authorities explained that strong northeast monsoon winds created large waves; conversely, fishermen argued that severe siltation caused boats to run aground, leading to capsizing or being swept away by the waves.
Since being silted up, Phu Hai fishing port has become deserted and desolate. Depending on the tide, the port is sometimes just a mudflat, and even at high tide, it is difficult for large vessels to enter and exit. Phan Ri Cua fishing port, which has been operational since 2015, has been approved by the province for dredging, but the project is still struggling to find a suitable location for disposing of the dredged material.
At the Phan Thiet shipping channel, the newly formed sandbar, once small, has now become a docking area for small boats, a fishing spot, and a place for people to swim, hindering the entry and exit of ships. In 2023, the Vietnam Maritime Administration and the Department of Agriculture and Environment of Lam Dong province exchanged documents regarding the location for dumping dredged material. It wasn’t until the end of March 2026 that the two units reached a conclusion on who would choose and recommend a disposal site. The new challenge is that there is still no location with a suitable area for the volume of dredged material. Previously, in 2019 and 2021, approximately 30,000 m³ of dredged material, covering 1.5 hectares, also remained at the Phan Thiet cargo port awaiting disposal.
The story of coastal sedimentation is occurring in many provinces: Quang Ngai, Quang Tri, Ca Mau … According to experts, the main cause is the construction of embankments to prevent erosion and storm shelters to protect ships, but which inadvertently alter the water flow. Depending on the quality of the construction, such as whether it is built according to design and technical standards and properly maintained, sedimentation occurs at a faster or slower rate.
Dredging projects with readily available disposal sites are generally more convenient. In areas without available land for disposal, the investor must find a suitable location and obtain an environmental impact assessment from the competent authority. Finding a site several hectares in size is challenging, as it must both avoid impacting residential areas and be easily accessible.
According to the procedure, after being brought ashore, the dredged material will be auctioned off, but businesses will only purchase it if the sand is usable for land reclamation. While the option of dumping it offshore offers more favorable locations, it also requires a rigorous consultation process to avoid damaging marine resources and costs twice as much as dumping it on land.
To facilitate dredging, the State needs a separate mechanism for dredging enterprises and the consumption of dredged material. For example, dredging enterprises could be allowed to use the sand for backfilling construction projects, thus solving the problem of waste disposal sites without needing to go through an auction. Enterprises would only need to calculate profits and fulfill their financial obligations to the State.
In the long run, continuous dredging and dumping onto land will also deplete the available clean land, leaving no more storage space. A more sustainable solution in the context of material shortages is to use dredged material for filling in transportation projects or land reclamation projects, thus avoiding the time-consuming procedures of environmental impact assessment and bidding. Alternatively, the dredged material could be dumped at coastal erosion sites, but only during favorable wind seasons, and temporary seawalls could be constructed offshore to cultivate sandbanks.
In reality, building seawalls and storm shelters brings significant benefits, but conversely, it also comes with negative impacts such as sedimentation. However, without a streamlined mechanism, the issue of finding suitable disposal sites will remain a vicious cycle with no end in sight.
