Many volunteers have joined hands to tidy up the Tuan Chau Beach in Ha Long City, a famed tourist destination in Quang Ninh Province, northern Vietnam as the beach was still like a mess two weeks after being hit by typhoon Yagi.

Typhoon Yagi made landfall in northern Vietnam earlier this month, killing more than 290 people and damaging 237,000 homes.

It is the most powerful storm to have entered the East Vietnam Sea over the past 30 years and the worst typhoon to have hit Vietnam in the past 70 years.

After the typhoon, the two-kilometer beach was full of garbage.

Hoa, a local resident who helped clean the beach, said more than 100 people were mobilized to clean the beaches in Ha Long City in the wake of typhoon Yagi. 

They mainly did the job in the early morning and on weekends.

Given the extensive damage caused by the typhoon, local authorities have had to prioritize other recovery efforts, Hoa said.

She expressed hope that she could help restore Ha Long and attract tourists back to the city.

Meanwhile, Tien, another resident, reported that equipment used for local oyster farming had been damaged and washed ashore.

After local authorities urged residents to join the effort to clean up the beaches, Tien and his friends headed to the shore after work to collect debris.

Despite their efforts, Tuan Chau Beach remains littered with waste, primarily farming equipment and styrofoam boxes.

On weekends, volunteers -- including students and employees from Hanoi-based travel companies -- also pitched in to help clean the beach.

La Thi Thanh Phuong, a student from local Thuongmai University, said she was shocked to see the aftermath of typhoon Yagi in Ha Long.

Joining hands to clean the beaches in Ha Long, home to the world-renowned Ha Long Bay, is crucial in helping the city welcome tourists again and recover its tourism.

Pham Ha, chairman of Lux Group, a travel service provider, expressed concern over the state of the areas surrounding Tuan Chau International Passenger Port, which remain in disarray two weeks after typhoon Yagi.

With Vietnam's peak inbound tourism season approaching, the situation is particularly worrisome.

Lux Group has dispatched nearly 40 employees to Ha Long to assist in the city’s clean-up efforts.

According to Ha, many sunken ships have yet to be fished out, damaging Ha Long’s cityscape and posing danger to ships operating in the local waters.

Clean-up efforts by local authorities and residents are needed to clean the beaches as fast as possible, Ha added.

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