The October storms and attendant impacts, including torrential rains, powerful winds, flooding and landslides have left a trail of coastal destruction in their wake.
Many sections of Cua Lo Coast in Nghe An Province exemplify the damage suffered.
Over a kilometer of the embarkment in front of Binh Minh Square, Nghi Huong Ward, usually crowded with tourists every season, has been ruined. Parts of the embankment have collapsed and its base has been severely damaged by strong waves.
A hollowed out section and broken chucks of an embankment show how vulnerable the coastal area has become.
At the base of the embankment foot lie broken concrete chunks and the steel mesh used to cover the gabions has been torn.
In Thu Thuy Ward, uprooted trees and trash washed up ashore, close to the shops on the beach. Most of the stores were closed and there was no visitor.
Local authorities and locals placed sand sacks as a temporary measure to prevent water from intruding deeper and ruining nearby shops.
Cua Lo Town authorities said that the 10 km long beach had lost three km of embankment built more than a decade ago. Hundreds of shops along the beach serving food and beverages are in danger from the waves now, they said.
"The town is preparing a project proposal to use more than VND20 billion ($862,900) from the provincial budget to improve the situation before the tourism season next year," said vice chairman Vo Van Hung.
Cua Lo has welcomed more than 1.7 million visitors so far, about 69 percent of the same period in 2019, and earned revenues of about VND1,600 billion, down 50 percent year on year.
In the central province of Thua Thien-Hue, high tide triggered by storm Molave last week eroded more than 14 km of its coast, mainly in the districts of Giang Hai, Vinh My, Vinh Hien, Phu Vang and Phu Loc.
Residents of Phong Hai Commune, Phong Dien District, have used sand bags over the last three days to reinforce more than 1.5 km of eroded coast.
The coast of An Duong Village, Phu Thuan Commune, Phu Vang District, has suffered heavy erosion.
Many shrimp farms across the coast of Phu Thuan Commune have been reduced to piles of mud and broken concrete blocks.
A concrete structure washed into the sea.
Tran Due, 63, said more than 300 m of coastline had already eroded over the years.
"In this situation, without strong reinforcement of embankments, this area can turn into a new estuary," Due said.
The coast of Tan An Village has been heavily eroded and risks being washed off. Local authorities have mobilized dozens of stone blocks and sacks to shore up the eroding coastline.
