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Once-pristine Vietnamese coastline littered with trash

Once-pristine Vietnamese coastline littered with trash

Tuesday, June 18, 2019, 11:27 GMT+7
Once-pristine Vietnamese coastline littered with trash
The Ke Ga Beach in Binh Thuan Province, Vietnam is littered with trash from human activities. Photo: Tuan Son / Tuoi Tre News

Trash from human activity is threatening to deface a scenic coastline in south-central Vietnam as the once little-treaded location now attracts herds of travelers seeking an escape from city life.

The Ke Ga Beach is situated in Ham Thuan Nam District of Binh Thuan Province, 180 kilometers from Ho Chi Minh City.

It boasts a broad, sandy coastline decorated with a unique formation of yellow-colored rocks that earns it the nickname of ‘Bai Da Vang’ (Golden Rocks Beach) in Vietnamese.

The beach has a stunning view of the Ke Ga Lighthouse, the oldest and tallest lighthouse in Vietnam, built by the French in the late 1890s.

Beach-goers take a swim in the water at the Ke Ga Beach in Binh Thuan Province, Vietnam as the Ke Ga Lighthouse is seen in the background. Photo: Tuan Son / Tuoi Tre News

Beach-goers take a swim in the water at the Ke Ga Beach in Binh Thuan Province, Vietnam as the Ke Ga Lighthouse is seen in the background. Photo: Tuan Son / Tuoi Tre News

Better road conditions and the opening of the Ho Chi Minh City – Long Thanh – Dau Giay Expressway in 2015 have cut travel time between Ho Chi Minh City and the Ke Ga Beach to under four hours.

About 30 kilometers closer to Ho Chi Minh City than the long-popular Mui Ne Beach in the same province, the Ke Ga Beach is emerging as a favorite weekend getaway alternative for residents of the southern metropolis.

The experience of waking up before sunrise, taking a stroll along the untouched beach toward a nearby fishing village where tourists can buy seafood fresh off fishermen’s boats while watching the sun comes up behind the magnificent lighthouse is truly breathtaking.

Fishermen and conical boats gather at a fishing village at the Ke Ga Beach in Binh Thuan Province, Vietnam. Photo: Tuan Son / Tuoi Tre News

Fishermen and conical boats gather at a fishing village at the Ke Ga Beach in Binh Thuan Province, Vietnam. Photo: Tuan Son / Tuoi Tre News

However, increased human activities have taken their toll on the beautiful beach, which is now littered with trash from beach-goers, campers and local fishermen.

The morning walk to the fishing village has been made less enjoyable by the sight of discarded fishing nets, plastic bottles, beer cans and a range of other litter trashing the beach.

Now and again, one may encounter bodies of dead animals that have washed up on shore, with plastic rings from ocean trash still stuck to their body parts.

The Ke Ga Beach in Binh Thuan Province, Vietnam is littered with trash from human activities. Photo: Tuan Son / Tuoi Tre News

The Ke Ga Beach in Binh Thuan Province, Vietnam is littered with trash from human activities. Photo: Tuan Son / Tuoi Tre News

As much as 13 million metric tons of plastic trash is discharged into the world’s oceans every year, with Vietnam being one of the top five countries contributing to the problem, according to the Food and Agriculture Organization.

Vietnam has set eyes on completely phasing out single-use plastics nationwide by the year 2025.

The Ke Ga Beach in Binh Thuan Province, Vietnam is littered with trash from human activities. Photo: Tuan Son / Tuoi Tre News

The Ke Ga Beach in Binh Thuan Province, Vietnam is littered with trash from human activities. Photo: Tuan Son / Tuoi Tre News

The Ke Ga Beach in Binh Thuan Province, Vietnam is littered with trash from human activities. Photo: Tuan Son / Tuoi Tre News

The Ke Ga Beach in Binh Thuan Province, Vietnam is littered with trash from human activities. Photo: Tuan Son / Tuoi Tre News

The Ke Ga Beach in Binh Thuan Province, Vietnam is littered with trash from human activities. Photo: Tuan Son / Tuoi Tre News

The Ke Ga Beach in Binh Thuan Province, Vietnam is littered with trash from human activities. Photo: Tuan Son / Tuoi Tre News

A dead bird washes up on shore at the Ke Ga Beach in Binh Thuan Province, Vietnam. Photo: Tuan Son / Tuoi Tre News

A dead bird washes up on shore at the Ke Ga Beach in Binh Thuan Province, Vietnam. Photo: Tuan Son / Tuoi Tre News

The Ke Ga Beach in Binh Thuan Province, Vietnam is littered with trash from human activities. Photo: Tuan Son / Tuoi Tre News

The Ke Ga Beach in Binh Thuan Province, Vietnam is littered with trash from human activities. Photo: Tuan Son / Tuoi Tre News

The Ke Ga Beach in Binh Thuan Province, Vietnam is littered with trash from human activities. Photo: Tuan Son / Tuoi Tre News

The Ke Ga Beach in Binh Thuan Province, Vietnam is littered with trash from human activities. Photo: Tuan Son / Tuoi Tre News

The Ke Ga Beach in Binh Thuan Province, Vietnam is littered with trash from human activities. Photo: Tuan Son / Tuoi Tre News

The Ke Ga Beach in Binh Thuan Province, Vietnam is littered with trash from human activities. Photo: Tuan Son / Tuoi Tre News

A dead bird washes up on shore at the Ke Ga Beach in Binh Thuan Province, Vietnam. Photo: Tuan Son / Tuoi Tre News

A dead bird washes up on shore at the Ke Ga Beach in Binh Thuan Province, Vietnam. Photo: Tuan Son / Tuoi Tre News

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Tuan Son / Tuoi Tre News

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