Posted on April 16, 2025
In mid-April, people set up stalls and tables and chairs to welcome visitors along the 2.3 km stretch near the Victoria Hoi An Beach Resort & Spa. Four years ago heavy waves had caused severe erosion in the area, washing away many beachfront establishments.
Hoi An’s coastline, northeast of the old town, runs 7.5 km along Cua Dai and Cam An wards and comprises Cua Dai, Thinh My, Tan Thanh, and An Bang beaches.
Cua Dai, ranked 18th in the “Top 25 Beaches in Asia” at TripAdvisor’s Travelers’ Choice Awards and named one of Asia’s 20 best beaches by Travel2Next in 2022, has struggled with erosion since 2014, with hundreds of meters of beach being swallowed by the sea each year.
Without a comprehensive coastal protection project, authorities in Quang Nam Province, home to Hoi An, used to take stopgap measures like building makeshift embankments and replenishing sand in eroded sections.
Costing hundreds of billions of dong, the efforts were insufficient to prevent further erosion. [VND1 billion = US$38,902]
In 2016 the French Development Agency funded a comprehensive technical study and survey of Hoi An’s coastal area. Based on the study’s findings, the province decided to construct a breakwater and pump sand to create a new beach.
From June 2020 to September 2024, Quang Nam Province carried out three projects at a cost of VND550 billion to complete an underground breakwater stretching over 2.3 km in length.
The breakwater is constructed 0.5 meters below the water and runs parallel to the shore at a distance of 250 meters.
It has an average height of 4.5 meters, a base width of 12 meters, and a top width of 1.5 meters. Its inner structure consists of interlocking stones weighing 700-1,200 kg each, while its outer layer is paved with massive concrete blocks weighing five tons each.
Once the breakwater was completed, more than 100,000 cubic meters of sand dredged from the Cua Dai area were poured onto the new beach.
Nguyen Ngoc Tan, deputy director of the Quang Nam Investment Construction Project Management Board, said: “With the completion of these three projects, the breakwater now blocks incoming waves and reduces their intensity. Waves that still reach the shore lose momentum upon encountering the replenished sand.”
Since the projects were completed the 2.3 km section of coast has experienced almost no erosion, even during storms and floods.
Prior to these efforts, authorities and locals tried using sacks filled with sand to build temporary wave barriers, but that did not help.
After the breakwater project and subsequent sand replenishment, restaurant owners have reopened their establishments along the shore.
Nguyen Tuan, a restaurant owner, said: “Compared to the desolation of 2020, the beach now features smooth white sand. It may not be as picturesque as it was before the erosion, but it still brings joy to residents and visitors.”
Cua Dai Beach especially has undergone a complete transformation from its state in 2020. It was ravaged by waves that washed away vegetation and structures, but is now covered by more than 100 meters of pristine white sand.
In 2020 many beachfront shops on Cua Dai were forced to close, and every storm meant additional expenses and effort for locals who constructed temporary barriers with sand-filled sacks. With the new project, restaurant owners have renovated their places and resumed business.
Due to the persistent erosion along Cua Dai, many foreign tourists shifted to An Bang beach over the years. But following its revival, visitors are beginning to return, according to one restaurant owner.
One establishment that used to have a roof made from palm leaves and wood was completely washed away by the sea.
After the revival, the owner has rebuilt their place at the same spot.
Thanh Mai, 35, a tourist from Hanoi, recalled that four years ago Cua Dai was nearly barren due to erosion, and many foreign visitors could be seen swimming on temporary barriers.
“Now the beach has been replenished with sand stretching over hundreds of meters, and visitors can finally enjoy a proper swimming area.”
A portion of Thinh My Beach in 2023 and now.
In this residential area at Thinh My Beach, the waves entered 20 meters inland in 2023, washing away several houses.
Nearly a year ago, with the beach restored, locals reopened pathways leading to the sea.
After sand was refilled, locals people rebuilt homes and shops at the original sites.
Nguyen Chau, 60, a restaurant owner, says the erosion began in 2021 and 50 meters were lost by 2023, with one house being washed away.
In 2024 the work to build the underground breakwater and pump sand nearly restored the area.
“Now the breakwater stops the waves from scouring the shore and the water from washing away the sand,” Chau adds.
To combat erosion and protect the remaining 5.2 km of coastline, Quang Nam Province launched another project in March.
The project, managed by the Investment Construction Project Management Board, is estimated to cost 42 million euros (US$45.68 million).
The money will include a 35-million-euro loan from the AFD, two million euros in non-reimbursable EU aid and a five-million-euro contribution by the province.
The work is scheduled for completion in 2026, and includes two main components.
The first focuses on building infrastructure, including a nearly four-kilometer-long wave-reduction dam.
The embankment will be situated 250 meters from shore, have a stepped design and have a rock foundation and precast concrete blocks on the outer layer.
A groin system, structures extending seaward from the shore, will also be built 1.7 kilometers along the coast of stone and concrete blocks.
Once the dyke and groin are completed, sand will be added to create a beach measuring some 60 meters in width.
