Local authorities in Hoi An seem to be in no hurry to reprimand businesses for illegally setting up shop on An Bang Beach, one of the most popular destinations in the central Vietnamese city.

The violations seem to have begun in late 2018 on Tan Thanh Beach, an 800-meter section within An Bang Beach in Cam An Ward, Hoi An City, Quang Nam Province.

Local authorities seem to be unable to curb such blatant violations of local regulations and concerned residents feel they have been left with no other options but to contact Tuoi Tre (Youth) newspaper in the hope that publicizing the issue will lead to change.

“Fines and suspensions have already been imposed on the violators, but the problem persists. Soon there will be no more space for visitors,” one local resident stressed.

The area along Tan Thanh Beach has been zoned as public space by authorities, meaning local residents and businesses are prohibited from building within the zone.

Those rules, however, seem to be doing little to deter shady entrepreneurs from capitalizing on the prime piece of real estate.

One family in particular chopped down multiple trees on the beach which were originally planted to mitigate erosion. 

The logs were then used to build a cabin where they serve food and drinks to tourists.

The facility was still operating as of Tuesday, according to a reporters’s observation, while empty beer bottles and other types of trash were thrown directly onto the sand.

Other illegally built venues were offering similar services, with some equipped pipelines to dump wastewater directly into the sea.

As Cua Dai, a once famous beach in Hoi An, continues to fall in popularity due to extreme erosion, An Bang Beach continues to welcome more and more visitors.

Tan Thanh Beach alone welcomes thousands of tourists each day, thus many locals worry that the current situation may negatively impact tourism at the destination.

Nguyen Van Son, vice-chairman of the municipal People’s Committee, confirmed to Tuoi Tre that the problem had been present along the beach since the end of last year.

Son said he had personally inspected the area on several occasions, adding that the administration plans to take more assertive measures to claim back the public space.

According to the city’s urban management office, at least 11 facilities have been constructed against the law on Tan Thanh Beach.

The owners have been fined and asked to remove the illicit constructions, a representative stated, adding that the process would be carried out by force if they fail to comply.

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