This Tinh Ky Commune beach is a gulf at the end of the Kinh and Bai Ca rivers, near the Sa Ky estuary. Following heavy rains over the last few days, floodwater washed the trash and aquatic plants onto the dry land up against residential areas.
Filthy water carrying trash is washed ashore by waves.
"When it's sunny, there’s not much trash, but when it rains, especially after floods, trash is everywhere," said Pham Thi Phung, who lives 5 km from the beach.
A pillow stands out among the trash covering the shoreline.
Stagnant water collects in puddles around the trash, creating a foul odor.
Dang Lu, 75, said people have gotten better about not throwing trash into the sea, and some collect the trash for commercial purposes.
Environmental companies have also been cleaning up the trash, but the situation persists because communities upstream still dump their waste into rivers that empty along this stretch of coastline.
"We are used to the trash now," Lu said.
To prevent trash from entering their homes, people build walls at the shore. The wall creates small hills of trash and aquatic plants piling up on top of one another.
One side of the picture shows floodwater, while the other side shows garbage on the beach.
A representative of the Tinh Ky Commune People's Committee said that whenever trash is washed ashore, environmental companies and volunteer groups cooperate with authorities in clean-up efforts.
"As the areas are at estuaries, the trash will always come back, so authorities will need to have better solutions," the representative said.
