Hey Stuart. I was in Mui Ne a few weeks ago to see the continued erosion there which has been going on for years. Kitesurfers pushed as far down as Swiss Village now, only the southern end of the beach is still in good shape. Year by year the concrete strip between the shore and the dunes is reavling its effects. A friend who lives there claims that the locals talk of a 14 year cycle and the "sands will come back", but off-shore dredging and all the seafront construction makes me dubious. At the moment there are the same steep drop offs, sea walls and ugly giant socks making the place unrecognisable from what it once was when I covered it for TF probably around 06/07 - genuinely a quaint tropical beach destination. Sad to see the same at An Bang, I was planning on stopping there in the summer! No longer, after reading this.
Yeah, am seeing very similar erosion here in Bali. Once the protective walls start, it just spreads the problem. Even before rising sea levels washed into brains, building on the dunes was dumb and An Bang in particular illustrates that—though the damage has clearly been accelerated by what is happening on Cua Dai plus the river dredging, dams, etcetera. Pretty bleak outlook.
The town isn’t to my taste, but I get the appeal. If you’ve never been it is worth a look for sure, but if you’ve been in the past a return visit is a bit more of a line-ball call.
Had to dig out old passports to see when we visited Vietnam - 2014. I think Hoi An was just about on the cusp. I remember very few of my Hong Kong-based friends had visited (and none from the UK apart from an old war correspondent). Then about five or so years later, it was the place to go.
I certainly wouldn't return to Hoi An, though I'd go back to Hue.
And the beaches - as a geography graduate, I well remember studying what happens to beaches, and this was long before rising sea-levels were a major concern. All I can do is face palm...
Yes, Hue is still fab, though definitely stay in the old town rather than the new bit. The beaches, yeah, is a mess. They’re building enormous resorts all along the road to Da Nang—madness.
Stuart, I recently rode that stretch from Danang into town, the amount of construction and existing towers was incredible. I'm told it's a buyer's market for many of those towers and projects.
Yeah the development along that road kinda blew my mind. Many of the sites looked abandoned, though some could have been shut down for Tet. Regardless, they should all be on the off-beach side of the road. In the end the ocean will have the final say.
I was there 15 years ago, and then again a month ago. I probably won't be going back to Vietnam even though I loved it 15 years ago. Too much rampant, poorly planned development.
Much of what I’ve seen this trip strikes me as rather Ill-considered. In discussions with both operators and officials I’ve found a major disconnect in where each party feels the country should head.
As a 1993 visitor to a quaint river town called Hoi An I feel your pain. A bicycle ride out to the deserted beach (with a drinks shack) was an immense pleasure. Unfortunately the goose laid a golden egg.
Those beaches have been fairly horrible for a while. I first went there in 1999 when it was still quiet and with lots of trees. Last time I went, about 12 years ago, it was crowded with badly behaved tourists, the beach was covered in furniture and rubbish, there were buildings and heavy traffic everywhere. It was no longer a relaxed place and I wondered why anyone would want to be there. It seems as if places get a reputation and it sticks despite changes. It shocks me that they could fit more in or that resort developers couldn't see the writing on the wall then. Tourism seems to be about finding a lovely place and then taking away everything that made it lovely.
We're going to Vietnam for the first time in February, so I guess that's why this article seems to hit harder than many of your others. Very sad, and so preventable.
Weird to "like" something so depressing, but this is the kind of writing I come here for! You're utterly bang on, it's heartbreaking to see the deterioration between visits to the region
We spent six weeks in Hoi An -- not anywhere near the beach -- back in 2019. We made one trip to the beach and it was such a clusterf*ck that we never went back. Much preferred riding my bike through the rice fields and watching the white ducks.
It was closer to two months really, which meant we got to watch almost an entire cycle of the rice growing, which was fantastic. Some of my favorite memories are cycling along those concrete paths watching the water buffalo happily munching away...
Excellent reporting, Stuart. Somebody at Google should read this and update its description on Maps:
"Cửa Đại is a quiet area anchored by its namesake beach, a sandy stretch known for gentle waves and dotted with upscale spa hotels. Cozy restaurants serve just-caught seafood prepared with local flavors like lemongrass and chile, while boats depart for the rustic Chàm Islands from Cua Dai pier. Nearby An Bang beach has a happening nightlife scene, with open-air cocktail bars featuring live music and club tunes."
Hey Stuart. I was in Mui Ne a few weeks ago to see the continued erosion there which has been going on for years. Kitesurfers pushed as far down as Swiss Village now, only the southern end of the beach is still in good shape. Year by year the concrete strip between the shore and the dunes is reavling its effects. A friend who lives there claims that the locals talk of a 14 year cycle and the "sands will come back", but off-shore dredging and all the seafront construction makes me dubious. At the moment there are the same steep drop offs, sea walls and ugly giant socks making the place unrecognisable from what it once was when I covered it for TF probably around 06/07 - genuinely a quaint tropical beach destination. Sad to see the same at An Bang, I was planning on stopping there in the summer! No longer, after reading this.
Yeah, am seeing very similar erosion here in Bali. Once the protective walls start, it just spreads the problem. Even before rising sea levels washed into brains, building on the dunes was dumb and An Bang in particular illustrates that—though the damage has clearly been accelerated by what is happening on Cua Dai plus the river dredging, dams, etcetera. Pretty bleak outlook.
Great review. Was planning to visit Hoi An, will think twice or will just explore the town and make a short beach visit:"he was right"...
The town isn’t to my taste, but I get the appeal. If you’ve never been it is worth a look for sure, but if you’ve been in the past a return visit is a bit more of a line-ball call.
Got it. Thanks
Had to dig out old passports to see when we visited Vietnam - 2014. I think Hoi An was just about on the cusp. I remember very few of my Hong Kong-based friends had visited (and none from the UK apart from an old war correspondent). Then about five or so years later, it was the place to go.
I certainly wouldn't return to Hoi An, though I'd go back to Hue.
And the beaches - as a geography graduate, I well remember studying what happens to beaches, and this was long before rising sea-levels were a major concern. All I can do is face palm...
Yes, Hue is still fab, though definitely stay in the old town rather than the new bit. The beaches, yeah, is a mess. They’re building enormous resorts all along the road to Da Nang—madness.
So sad to witness. As Peter, Paul and Mary put it, "When will they ever learn?"
Next time!
Stuart, I recently rode that stretch from Danang into town, the amount of construction and existing towers was incredible. I'm told it's a buyer's market for many of those towers and projects.
Yeah the development along that road kinda blew my mind. Many of the sites looked abandoned, though some could have been shut down for Tet. Regardless, they should all be on the off-beach side of the road. In the end the ocean will have the final say.
I was there 15 years ago, and then again a month ago. I probably won't be going back to Vietnam even though I loved it 15 years ago. Too much rampant, poorly planned development.
Much of what I’ve seen this trip strikes me as rather Ill-considered. In discussions with both operators and officials I’ve found a major disconnect in where each party feels the country should head.
As a 1993 visitor to a quaint river town called Hoi An I feel your pain. A bicycle ride out to the deserted beach (with a drinks shack) was an immense pleasure. Unfortunately the goose laid a golden egg.
Yeah, fun times!
Those beaches have been fairly horrible for a while. I first went there in 1999 when it was still quiet and with lots of trees. Last time I went, about 12 years ago, it was crowded with badly behaved tourists, the beach was covered in furniture and rubbish, there were buildings and heavy traffic everywhere. It was no longer a relaxed place and I wondered why anyone would want to be there. It seems as if places get a reputation and it sticks despite changes. It shocks me that they could fit more in or that resort developers couldn't see the writing on the wall then. Tourism seems to be about finding a lovely place and then taking away everything that made it lovely.
That last sentence is so true about the state of tourism, especially in Vietnam.
Indeed.
New places are going in literally next door to places that have collapsed. I’ve never seen anything like it—and I’ve seen some terrible spots!
We're going to Vietnam for the first time in February, so I guess that's why this article seems to hit harder than many of your others. Very sad, and so preventable.
Yeah, not upbeat on this one sorry! Preventable to a point, but also a very clear case of some properties that should have never happened.
Weird to "like" something so depressing, but this is the kind of writing I come here for! You're utterly bang on, it's heartbreaking to see the deterioration between visits to the region
Thanks, yes am all about the good news channel here!
We spent six weeks in Hoi An -- not anywhere near the beach -- back in 2019. We made one trip to the beach and it was such a clusterf*ck that we never went back. Much preferred riding my bike through the rice fields and watching the white ducks.
Six weeks! I don’t know if I could handle that lol, but yeah, while it isn’t really my scene, I get the appeal. Already soooo busy.
It was closer to two months really, which meant we got to watch almost an entire cycle of the rice growing, which was fantastic. Some of my favorite memories are cycling along those concrete paths watching the water buffalo happily munching away...
Excellent reporting, Stuart. Somebody at Google should read this and update its description on Maps:
"Cửa Đại is a quiet area anchored by its namesake beach, a sandy stretch known for gentle waves and dotted with upscale spa hotels. Cozy restaurants serve just-caught seafood prepared with local flavors like lemongrass and chile, while boats depart for the rustic Chàm Islands from Cua Dai pier. Nearby An Bang beach has a happening nightlife scene, with open-air cocktail bars featuring live music and club tunes."
Thanks—and ha ha ha. Though to be honest I do need to update what we have about it on Travelfish. Change comes at you fast.