High waves destroy houses on Nha Trang islet

Nhat Tri in Vinh Phuoc Ward, two kilometers north of the central beach town, has an area of 21 hectares and 1,400 households, most of which make a living by fishing. Located right at the mouth of the Cai River, the houses at the edge of the islet are often affected by high waves in the rainy season.

The house of Nguyen Van Trung, 58, was hit by waves on Monday morning and there is only debris left of some of the walls. Trung's is one of 40 households on Nhat Tri to be severely affected. He had spent more than VND20 million (US$804.54) to strengthen the foundation of the house but it still could not cope with the fierce waves.

Trung's house is filled with debris from the house and furniture. Erosion and environmental pollution are turning the lives of Trung and others on the islet upside down.

"We earn money just to spend on fixing our house," Trung laments.

Next to Trung's house is Nguyen Bo's, which was also damaged by the waves. His family had to stack up sandbags to keep out the waves.

Bo says: "My family spent VND30 million on buying materials to build the embankment half a month ago, but in the last three nights it was destroyed by the waves. The waves this year are wicked."

The kitchen floor in Bo's house has subsided and the walls have cracks.

The embankment that was destroyed by the waves.

Nguyen Thi Thanh Hau's house, located on a bank of the Cai River, was completely destroyed by the waves. Only the wooden pillars remain.

Hau says her family has lived here for nine years. Every rainy season, when there are big waves, her family have to rent a place to stay and shell out VND20 million dong to repair their own house.

"I didn't expect the house to be damaged [so badly]. Fortunately, there were not many valuable things there."

Bo makes use of debris to buttress his house.

The gabions are bought by locals with their own money to keep out the waves.

People use sandbags and wooden logs to set up barriers.

Ho Quang Quyen, 48, spent VND100 million to buy materials and hire workers to repair and strengthen the embankment destroyed by the waves. He said last year he paid VND150 million to build a 20-m-long embankment in front of his house to minimize the damage caused by waves.

According to Vinh Phuoc Ward authorities, Nhat Tri Islet residential area was once earmarked for a renovation project, but the investor later pulled out. An embarkment was also planned but has not been built due to lack of funds and lands to resettle displaced households.