Multi-million dollar project could spoil historic Hoi An town
WhatsOrb Global Sustainability X-Change
VietNamNet Bridge - The implementation of a series of projects on the beach dunes near Hoi An will create challenges for Hoi An in its path for sustainable development.
In March 2008, after getting the nod from the Quang Nam provincial People’s Committee, Gami Hoi An JSC started the construction of Gami Hoi An, an ecotourism village.
However, after building a short concrete embankment section, the investor unexpectedly stopped the construction.
In 2015, the provincial authorities, after many times urging the investor to continue the project, decided to revoke the license. However, in 2016, they allowed the investor to resume the project implementation.
Gami Hoi An, capitalized at $43 million, covers an area of 11.3 hectares. Located about 400 meters from Hoi An ancient town, the project is expected to comprise tourism service works and a 16,000 square meter multi-functional conference center, capable of serving 800-950 guests, a 5-star hotel with 200 rooms, commercial areas, high-end villa areas, a marina and greenery items.
28-11-2016
An extremely frustrating article in VietnamNet Newspaper. A terraced hydro power plant system on the river, illegal exploitation of sand, ore mining and overuse of chemicals by industrial parks, factories and households have polluted the river, threatening the marine ecology system, etc.
Already since 2008 there are reports from the UN, research groups from Denmark, Germany and the Netherlands which came long ago already to the same conclusion. I even went myself around with students from the university in Oslo (Norway) and later I got reports from students from the Netherlands who did a research project in cooperation with Boskalis, a dredging and Marine specialist. All did research, all wrote reports and came to the same conclusion.
Now 8 years later nothing is done and the damage done to people, property, the environment and for Hoi An us UNESCO heritage is immense.
Hoi An, biosphere under serious threat
17-10-2016
Unprecedented rain and a deluge of water released by two hydro-power plants has caused major flooding in central Vietnam.
On October 14, record rainfall submerged central Vietnam in up to four meters of water in some places as rivers overflowed, creating flash floods throughout Quang Binh as well as neighboring provinces such as Ha Tinh, Quang Tri and Thua Thien-Hue.
The head of central Vietnam’s National Hydrometeorology Center, located in Dong Hoi, capital of Quang Binh, told Zingthe city received a record 747 millimeters of rain within a 24-hour period, shattering the previous record of 555 mm in 1995. According to VnExpress, the National Committee for Search and Rescue is calling the flood one of the worst disasters in Quang Binh’s history.Read more....
14-06-2016
Vietnam's economical growth backfires by the amount of untreated waste reaching the food chain!
Repeated fish deaths infuriate farmers in southern Vietnam
Authorities in the southern Vietnamese province of Ba Ria- Vung Tau are urgently looking into the cause of the recent mass deaths of farm-raised fish after local farmers expressed discontent by blocking a national highway with dead fish.
Read more
06-10-2016
Sustainable projects struggling in Vietnam’s energy business
While coal-fired power plants are increasing in numbers despite environmental concern, clean energy projects are facing major economic and policy challenges to stay in business.
Vietnam has a plan in place to increase its number of coal-fired power plants from 19 to 51 by the year 2030, most of which are located near residential areas.
This number is alarming, given the fact that some nations and even regions such as the U.S., Europe, and China, are taking drastic measures to reduce their coal-powered electricity plants due to their adverse environmental and health effects.Formosa unit owns up to fish kill disaster commits to 500-million compensation
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| Chen Yuan-Cheng (4th from left), Chairman of Formosa Ha Tinh Steel Corp., and officials of the company bow in apology to an environment disaster in central Vietnam. |
You can not deny that pollution is a very serious threat in Vietnam!
Other Vietnamese woke up on this traditional Labor Day, or International Workers’ Day, energized to take to the streets in protest, turning out in their hundreds in Hanoi and thousands in Ho Chi Minh City. They were marching in protest over reports that tons of fish started turning up dead along the country’s coastline in early April, along the shores of the four central provinces of Ha Tinh, Quang Binh, Quang Tri and Thua Thien-Hue. Videos featured on Facebook and YouTube showed several protesters being beaten and driven away by vehicles in Ho Chi Minh City.
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| Vietnamese fishing boats via Quang Nguyen Vinh |
Many of the protesters were angry – convinced the dead fish were the result of waste water discharged from the nearby $10.6 billion coastal steel plant owned by a subsidiary of the Taiwanese conglomerate Formosa Plastics Corporation. The management of Formosa recently admitted to operating a mile-long, illegal sewage pipe going straight into the sea – though they claimed the discharged waste water is treated. A spokesperson for the company was also reportedly punished for his inept response to the accusation, arguing that the Vietnamese people had to choose between jobs and a clean environment, claiming “You want the fish or the steel plant? You have to choose.”
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| A protester attacked with tear gas in Ho Chi Minh City on May 8, 2016 |
How the new Vietnamese leadership responds to their first real domestic challenge will be telling. Following the apology last week of Vietnam’s minister of environment and natural resources, Tran Hong Ha, for putting forth a “confused” response to the crisis, Vietnam’s new leadership appears to be taking constructive steps. Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc has advised investigative authorities, “We will not shield anyone found causing the pollution,” a ban was placed on the sale and distribution of dead aquatic products from the central region, financial assistance and rice is being offered to fishermen facing a loss of revenue, and through quality control monitoring, fish sales have again resumed. Discussions with Formosa management are being held, monitoring of further discharge from the steel plant is underway, and the government is turning to outside environmental consultants from the United States, Germany and Israel to join a national panel of 100 scientists to help determine the cause of the disaster. And, unlike in many countries, much of the bad news is circulating on social media platforms such as Facebook, which has about 30 million users in Vietnam.
Yet the new leadership is drawing strong criticism online after their response to recent demonstrations in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City last weekend. When the demonstrations threatened to spiral out of control, several protesters were roughed up by uniformed and plainclothes police and hauled away in buses and unmarked cars in both cities. The detainment's came the day before Tom Malinowski, U.S. assistant secretary of state for democracy, human rights and labor, was scheduled to arrive in Vietnam. During his two-day visit, Malinowski is expected to monitor progress on human rights and call on Vietnamese leadership unconditionally release political prisoners – the latest detainment's should be high on his agenda.
Vietnam said on Thursday it was investigating whether pollution is to blame for a spate of mysterious mass fish deaths along the country’s central coast after huge amounts of marine life washed ashore in recent days.
Tonnes of fish, including rare species which live far offshore and in the deep, have been discovered on beaches along the country’s central coastal provinces of Ha Tinh, Quang Tri, Quang Binh and Hue.
“We have never seen anything like it,” aquaculture official Nhu Van Can told AFP on Thursday.
Algae and Toxins, Not Steel Mill Waste, Blamed for Vietnamese Fish Kill
Red tide or toxins
While authorities have yet to discover a cause, Nanh said the main suspected culprits are a red tide and toxins generated by people.
“There are two main reasons that may have led to the mass fish deaths,” Nhan said. “The first is due to the effects of a chemical toxin generated by people on land or sea, and the second is due to an unusual environmental phenomenon combined with peoples’ influence that causes a red tide.”
Red tides are naturally occurring, but there is evidence that they are on the rise as they are being fueled by global warming and runoff from fertilizers and other phosphates.
Scientists call the red tide harmful algae bloom because not all of them are red and don’t depend on the tide. The algae linked to red tides contain a toxin that affects the nervous and digestive systems of animals. In the Pacific the Alexandrium catenella algae is the most common cause of harmful algae blooms.
He didn’t detail what toxins might have caused the fish to die.
“This is a very complicated disaster that has happened in many places in the world, and we need time to find out the cause in a scientific manner,” he said. “There are cases in other countries that are similar to what happened here, and they took many years to find the cause.”
National anxiety
The fish kill comes as anxiety among Vietnamese over China’s influence is rising. While the Formosa plant is Taiwanese, many Vietnamese do not draw a clear distinction between Taiwan and mainland China.
The fish kill comes as Beijing’s push to claim nearly all of the South China Sea has stirred a nationalistic backlash in Vietnam.
28-04-2016
“Vietnam has not done a good job in promoting itself abroad largely due to a lack of funds for advertising,” Vu The Binh, deputy head of the Vietnam tourism association, was quoted by local media as saying in May. Experts and tour operators also weigh in, saying Vietnam’s visa policy is cumbersome and not tourism-friendly.
The leadership is heeding those concerns, asking agencies to make Vietnam safer and cleaner.
“Worst of all is the systematic destruction of the country’s unique natural beauties, the very magnet for many foreign visitors, in the name of modernization and economic development,” said Nguyen Van My, head of a tour company in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam’s economic hub. “A slew of natural wonders are constantly destroyed or threatened across the country where local leaders are too preoccupied with short- sighted economic performance,” Nguyen said.
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| Resort building in Hoi An. |
Elsewhere, plans to build casinos in scenic areas (like Dong Van plateau in the north, which became a global geological park loom large. Conservationists lament that poorly planned construction of hydro-power plants and coastal resorts is aggravating erosion in Hoi An, a Unesco heritage site and one of the most popular destinations in Vietnam.
Vietnam’s rush to develop risks damaging its natural attractions
13-04-16
Project Hoi An: coastal erosion Central Vietnam
The ancient town of Hoi An is located on Vietnam's central coast and is one of the most popular destinations in Vietnam. It is known for its exceptionally well-preserved traditional South-East Asian trading port and is recognized as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO. Nowadays, many places along this coastal stretch are rapidly developing into a high class tourist resort area. Here, several problems concerning coastal erosion occur for which solutions have to be found.
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| Cua Dai Beach, Hoi An |
Severe coastal erosion has been observed since 2004. Presently, many hotel owners have already constructed their own beach protection, consisting of a more or less random mix of flood walls, rip-rap protection, sheet-piles, groynes, or a combination of such elements. In that respect, the overall picture of beach protection is not very consistent. At some places, the beach is still unprotected and as a result the coast has been receding due to heavy wave attack.
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| Cua Dai Beach, Hoi An. |
Kilometer to millimeters!
Although coastal engineering generally deals with very large systems, another part of our research is to zoom in at grain size level. For beach nourishment, it is important to match the grain diameter of the new sand with the native beach sand. Therefore, a massive scale reduction from kilometers to millimeters took place to find out.
Since we don’t speak Vietnamese, the communication was a bit troublesome, but we managed to make clear what we wanted to do. Once the lab staff understood our idea, they were very skillful in helping us. Weighing, drying, sieving, that’s what we did for days and for days. Finally some results are visible, which indicates that only the river sand might be suitable to restore the beaches. The rest of our sea samples were only mud and cannot be used. Dredging sand from the river would not solve the lack of sand in the coastal system. More research still has to be done to find a proper borrow location elsewhere.
This Friday, when the exams are starting in Delft (good luck everyone!), we will finish our project by giving the final presentation at the Thuy Loi University in Hanoi. After that, it is time for some holiday travels throughout South-East Asia to really finalize Project Hoi An in a great way!
Hoi An anti-flooding project threatens 50 historic houses
Around 50 ancient houses in the ancient town of Hoi An are at risk of collapsing due to construction activities as part of a major river embankment project that aims to prevent serious flooding in the area.
The 800-meter embankment along the Hoai River is set to replace the one that was built by the French and has been deteriorating for the last decade.
The central government allocated more than VND50 billion (US$2.2 million) to Quang Nam Province to finance the project, which began at the end of last year.
But the owners of around 50 centuries-old houses near the construction site said the project is more of a curse than a blessing.
They said cracks had appeared on the walls and the floors of their houses. Some of the cracks measure up to five meters in length.
The residents have reported their concerns to local authorities.
Nguyen The Hung, deputy chairman of the Hoi An People’s Committee, told Thanh Nien the contractor had been aware of the impacts that the project would make on local houses, but they had no choice.
He said local authorities had surveyed the houses and bought insurance for them before going ahead with the project.
He promised that construction workers will try their best to minimize the risks to the houses.
A board of supervisors, including heritage conservationists, has been set up to oversee the project, he said.
Once a popular trade port in the region, Hoi An is now one of the most peaceful towns in Vietnam, drawing tourists to its picturesque wooden houses, pagodas, street-side eateries and hundreds of tailor shops.
The UNESCO recognized Hoi An as a World Heritage Site in 1999.
24-12-2015
Many Vietnam's cities will be submerged due to climate change.
People in the Central Highlands and nearby provinces are facing the worst drought of the decade, struggling to find drinking water and watching their crops and cattle die.
But 400 kilometers to their north, three people drowned last month due to unusual floods as rainfall hit more than 500 millimeters, the highest in March since 1965.
“What’s going on?” a resident asked in a question sent to the environment minister during a televised Q&A program early this month.
“It’s climate change,” Minister Nguyen Minh Quang told national broadcaster Vietnam Television.
He said the impacts are becoming more extreme in Vietnam, one of the five most affected countries in the world, and the cost of that extremity will rise to 9 percent of GDP from the end of the century.
“It’s a terrible figure.”
The damage caused by climate change between 2001 and 2010 was around 1.5 percent of Vietnam's GDP as more severe and frequent disasters left around 9,500 people dead and missing.
Quang said that in 2100, the temperature in Vietnam will be two to three Celsius degrees higher and the sea level will rise by another one meter.
A fifth of the country’s largest and busiest city Ho Chi Minh will be underwater, so as 39 percent of the Mekong Delta and 10 percent of the Red River Delta.
The ministry said Vietnam at the present cannot afford to do anything about climate change other than learning to live with it.
He said one effective adaptation method is to plant mangrove forests, or in other words, recovering those that the country has spent years destroying for agriculture development.
Over the past 70 years Vietnam has lost around 2,420 square kilometers of mangrove forests to agriculture projects, mostly shrimp farms.
The country’s job now is to bring them back, the minister said.
23-12-2015
River salinity from sea badly hits rice crop!
Many rice farmers in Ben Tre Province have started harvesting their immature rice plants after little rainfall and no flooding for the first time ever exposed their crops to river-borne salinity early.
Without water, the rice seeds cannot grow any bigger, they said.
“It’s my worst year ever,” Nguyen Van Nhan, who has been growing rice for dozens of years, told Tuoi Tre newspaper.
The Hau and Tien Rivers, tributaries of the Mekong and the main source of fresh water in the region, have become unfit for irrigation after salinity levels – due to encroachment by seawater -- exceeded 5‰, way above the level of 1-2‰ at this time last year.
The same issues arise in all rivers in Vietnam connected directly with the sea and in combination with Hydro electric dams which limit the flow fresh water coming from the mountains to reach the delta area's like in Quang Nam Province, Hoi An!
Many farmers have left their fields fallow since they were not able to get much freshwater during what has been the strongest El Nino year in two decades, even stronger than in 1997 and 1998.
Meteorologists have warned that the intense conditions will continue into spring next year and could wreak havoc, especially in East Asia-Pacific countries.
Nhan said he only managed to harvest a 10th of the normal crop.
Pham Thi Thiet, 80, of Tien Giang Province said she has never seen such early or severe salinity in the area.
This level of salinity is not reached until March or April, she said.
She might harvest just 40 kilograms from her 7,000-square-meter field this time, less than a 20th of the normal yield, she said.
Nguyen Tan Hung, the chairman of a commune in Tien Giang, said farmers in his commune have planted 620 hectares of rice, but 400 hectares have dried up or been destroyed by salinity, and the rest could go the same way.
22-12-2015
Toxic chemicals from gold mining destroys environment in Quang Nam Province.
QUANG NAM (VNS) — Illegal mining has become a complex issue, especially the toxic chemicals utilized in the process, as they are a serious health hazard for the surrounding neighborhood.
Nguyen Van Tho, deputy director of the provincial department of environment and natural resources, said cyanide and mercury are among the toxic chemicals used by illegal diggers to filter gold, and they discharge it directly into the environment.
"If this doesn't stop, the residents' quality of life will be severely affected," Tho said.
Regarding the illegal exploitation of the 365ha Bong Mieu gold mine, which was under the management of Bong Mieu Gold Mining Company, the provincial people's committee had asked the company to tighten protection and inspections of the mines.
However, the company failed to strictly comply with the province's request as the area is very large and borders many districts with multiple entrances, making it difficult to protect and manage the mines efficiently.
Tam Lanh Commune's Police Chief Nguyen Van Thanh said that the company had not done anything to manage the situation and had refused to ask the local authority for support.
They also failed to transfer the task of managing the mines to the province. As a result, illegal diggers were taking advantage of the loopholes, and many had come to exploit the large area.
09-12-2015
While almost 5 month old, the video below still gives an overview of how bad the situation is at Cua Dai Beach in Hoi An Vietnam. Start at 50 seconds in the 'story'. For whatever reason the editor of this clip made some awfull effects to make a bad situation even worse!
CNN environment
BBC environment
Huffingtonpost environment
01-12-2015
Building a dyke along Cua Dai Beach!
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| The government starts to wake up! |
According to the agriculture and rural development ministry, landslides in estuaries or along the coast were serious and caused by climate change and human activities.
A representative of the natural resources and environment ministry said eight hydro power plants in the upper sections of Thu Bon River in the central region had changed the balance of mud and sand in the river's lower sections, causing coastal landslides.
A dike is nice but without wave brakers and solving issues caused by hydro electric dam useless!
29-11-2015
Big waves destroy Cua Dai Beach!
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| Cua Dai Beach, Hoi An. |
29-11-2015
Some good news and...solutions are often so simple!
Thanks to a Mangrove restoration project.
This they should do to in Hoi An in combination with wave breakers and Water Coconut Trees along rivers and where are now the shrimp-farms south of the Cua Dai Street!
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| A solution for the Cua Dai Beach area. In combination with Mangrove and Water Coconut Trees along rivers and where now are shrimp-farms it would be a 'cheap' solution! Of course there needs to be a re-thinking about the Hydro Electric dams! Green Apple Hoi An. |
Cua Dai Beach lost again over a stretch of 300 meters 5 meter of beach! While many locals and some officials putt effort into damage control there is still no serious activities planned from the local- and Quang Nam Province Government. After years of erosion it is still not taken serious!
18-11-15
The everlasting showdown of Hoi An's 'beachfront'. Isn't sad that what was one of the most promising cultural tourist destinations changed in less than 20 years into a bad example of mismanagement, incompetence and destruction of natural beauty!
Hoi An keeps tourists from beaches
01-11-15
World Heritage site loses beaches to erosion
VietNamNet Bridge – The beaches in Hoi An, famed for its cultural and recreational diversity, are eroding quickly as local authorities search for sustainable solutions. Bo Xuan Hiep reports.
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| Construction of a high-end resort, Vinpearl Resort Hoi An, was suspended at the end of last year due to serious erosion at Cua Dai beach in Hoi An. — VNS Photos Bo Xuan Hiep
Australian Tony McNeill and his wife were looking for a sunbathing spot on Cua Dai Beach outside Hoi An, a historic city and World Heritage Site popular with tourists in central Viet Nam.
Finally, they spread out their towels on a sandbag revetment placed on the beach to prevent erosion.
"We weren't aware of how much beach area had disappeared until we were told about it. So disappointing," said McNeill, 60. "The sandbags aren't the ugliest erosion remedy I've seen, but a natural beach would be far more attractive. Certainly, much of the charm appears to have diminished."
Known as one of Viet Nam's most beautiful beaches, Cua Dai has lost about 200m of sand over the last 10 years.
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At one point, up to 30m of land was lost within two days, according to local residents, who said the beach had changed dramatically since June.
Nguyen The Hung, vice chairman of Hoi An City's People's Committee, said the erosion had occurred gradually but had been particularly bad over the last 10 to 12 months.
Sunglass vendor Nguyen Tan Hoe, 57, who has worked on the beach for 10 years, said that in recent months three rows of coconut trees had been blown away.
"It's the worst situation that I've ever seen. The beach is disappearing," Hoe said.
Speaking at an international workshop on rivers, estuaries and coastal areas held in Hoi An last month, Dr Nguyen Trung Viet, rector of the Central Region College of Technology, Economics and Water Resources, said the exact causes of erosion were not known, and that more research was needed.
Climate change and a reduction in sediment and water discharge along the Thu Bon River had possibly contributed to the problem, he said.
Hydropower dams, some built in recent years and others far earlier, as well as illegal sand mining in the river bed, have reduced the supply of sediment, according to Viet.
Eight hydropower plants are located along the upstream section of the Thu Bon, starting from Ngoc Linh Mountain in Quang Nam Province's Nam Tra My District.
Sand mines operate at full capacity in the river and its tributaries to supply material for construction sites along the beach.
Professor Hitoshi Tanaka, of Japan's Tohoku University, who also spoke at the workshop in Hoi An, said the upstream area had worsened erosion.
According to vice director of the Viet Nam Academy for Water Resources Tran Dinh Hoa, structural changes in the rivers, estuaries and coastal areas as well as deforestation upstream, have all hastened erosion.
Hirotada Matsuki, chief advisor for the Japan for International Co-operation Agency (JICA), said that riverbank erosion was one of the most severe problems in rural areas in Viet Nam.
Tourism numbers decline
While local authorities try to deal with continuing erosion, dozens of resorts in the area are in danger of losing their beach properties. As a result, tourism has been adversely affected.
Construction of two high-end resorts, Fusion Alya and Vinpearl Resort Hoi An, was suspended at the end of 2014 because of coastal erosion.
Popular resorts along Cua Dai Beach have especially been affected.
The Victoria Resort, a high-end property, has had to spend billions of Vietnamese dong to upgrade a sea dyke every year. Last year, it spent VND3 billion (US$135,000) to cope with the problem, but the outcome was not satisfactory, according to a resort representative.
Sunrise Resort, which is also located along Cua Dai beach, has been able to maintain an occupancy rate of 60 to 70 per cent, but the number of guests has fallen significantly compared to previous years.
Meanwhile, tourist groups have cancelled resort bookings or shortened their visits after discovering that several beaches no longer existed.
At Golden Sand resort, for example, beach erosion has even crept up to the edge of the swimming pool.
Nguyen Chau Thanh Thu, a assistant to the resort's director, said the number of guests in the last two years had fallen by 70-80 per cent.
"To improve the situation, we've worked with travel firms, but when they see there's no longer a beautiful beach, they refuse to send guests," Thu said.
Even though the resort has discounted room rates by 50 per cent and offered promotions, the number of guests has not increased.
Nguyen Thi Thom, 50, an employee who has worked for 10 years at Tan Loc restaurant on Cua Dai beach, said the number of diners had dropped by 80 per cent since the end of last year.
Motorbike-taxi drivers in the area have also been taking a hit from the decline in tourists.
Nguyen Ngoc Thong, 40, who has been a bike-taxi driver for more than 10 years, said the number of drivers had fallen to 24, down from 40 three years ago.
Thong said that most tourists now visited Hoi An's Old Quarter, and then headed back to Da Nang. Instead they visit An Bang beach north of Cua Dai.
Recently, Hoi An authorities launched a project to build a 1.5-km embankment for VND115 billion ($5.5 million) that would protect the section of Au Co Road most heavily damaged by erosion.
The embankment is one of the city's seven projects to adapt to climate change.
Hoi An also plans to invest VND7.5 billion ($357,000) to replant 140ha of Nipa palm trees along the Thu Bon River. This would help curb erosion and ease the flow of water as well as reduce sand drift on the beach.
Long-term solutions
Speaking on the sidelines of the recent workshop in Hoi An, Le Tri Thanh, vice chairman of Quang Nam Province People's Committee, said the coastal erosion at Cua Dai was a serious problem for the province as well as Hoi An.
Many provinces in the central region had not developed long-term plans for the sustainable development of rivers, estuaries and coasts, he added.
Thanh said that all sand-mining activity should be strictly banned in the downstream areas of the Thu Bon and along the province's coastline.
More specialised dykes, other than sandbag revetments, should be built to shield Cua Dai beach from further attrition, he said.
Local scientists have also urged the planting of protective forests and new measures to retain soil.
The Hoi An government lacks the funding, technology and knowledge to resolve the problem and is waiting for support from the province and the central Government, according to Thanh.
Nguyen Trung Viet, rector of the Central Region College of Technology, Economics and Water Resources, told Viet Nam News in an interview that temporary solutions would not achieve sustainable outcomes, and might do the opposite.
The measures could cause erosion in neighbouring areas, such as resorts that have built their own dykes, which, in turn, would cause erosion at nearby hotels and resorts, Viet said.
Therefore, co-operation between scientists, businesses and provincial authorities is needed to effectively resolve the issue.
Viet said it could cost a total of VND1 trillion ($44.4 million) to tackle coastal erosion in the central region.
According to the Hoi An City's People's Committee, the city has spent nearly VND20 billion ($940,000) to erect iron poles and dyke sections as a temporary solution.
The committee has asked the provincial People's Committee and the central Government for additional funds for soil retention, and has also sought advice from experts.
In 2012, Quang Nam Province disbursed VND54 billion ($2.5 million) to build a 1.5km long dike on Cua Dai. Four years earlier, Hoi An proposed a VND800-billion dike system, but it never came to fruition.
Nguyen Van Son, vice chairman of Hoi An's People's Committee, said while waiting for funds from the central Government, the city had allowed businesses to build sea dykes to temporarily cope with erosion.
But the businesses must do it at their own expense, as the city only covers expenses for erosion that affects public park areas.
Ngo Thi Kim Anh, deputy director of the Victoria Resort, said many hotels and resorts along the beach had been spending too much money on erosion prevention, trying to take action before it was too late.
This year alone, Victoria spent more than VND10 billion ($450,000) to build a sandbag revetment.
Anh said the Government should seek long-term solutions for businesses and provide guidance as soon as possible to save the beaches.
Australian tourist McNeill pointed out that Australia had replenished eroded beaches by pumping sand from areas where it had been built up, such as river mouths.
"One thing we notice about Viet Nam in general that detracts from the beauty is the amount of litter. This, at least, is something that can be remedied at a local level. But, we would come back to Hoi An again," McNeill said.
"The Old Quarter of Hoi An was especially enjoyable. We still enjoyed our trip to Cua Dai, but the beach was not the only reason to visit," he added.
Similarly, Josephine Cheng of Hong Kong, who was also visiting Hoi An for the first time, said she enjoyed her time at Cua Dai Beach.
"The little town is amazing. It shows not only a traditional part of Viet Nam with its historic architecture and local village culture, but also its community structure," she said. "I could experience the lifestyle of the people even though I stayed in one of the resorts, because it was located near residents' homes."
"Cua Dai Beach is not the only reason for me to return. Hoi An should keep its traditional style of living. It's not easy to find places that aren't dependent on technology and commercial things. Modernism is essential to improve places, but it can sometimes kill the valuable traditional aspects," she said.
VNS
Local residents still discharge domestic waste directly into the environment because the VND30-billion (US$1.4 million) plant can burn only about 1.2 tonnes of solid waste daily, just 10 per cent of its designed capacity.
Ly Son, Quang Nai's solid waste problem
20-09-15
In 2007, the World Bank published a report on sea level rise that set off a new set of alarms. Not only was Vietnam facing a risk transition, but the fossil fuel-dependent pathway it was on was itself creating new risks for the country. The widely read report ranked Vietnam’s vulnerability first among 84 countries in terms of impact on population, GDP growth, urban flooding, and wetland loss, and second in land area lost and impacts on agriculture.More recent hydro-meteorological assessments have added to a growing body of evidence of climate impacts:1. Sea level rise, as measured by satellite imagery, has now reached 4.7 mm per year, with the southeast region, where Ho Chi Minh City is located, showing the highest rate of increase.2. The mean annual temperature has increased by 0.4° C since 1960.3. There has been a significant increase in hot days and nights and a significant decrease in cold days and nights since 1960.4. Extreme rainfall events have increased in central Vietnam, where a majority of hydroelectric dams are located.5. The northeast monsoon is arriving 10-15 days later than it did in the 1980s. Typhoons are shifting south, and the number of those striking the coast of Vietnam is increasing.
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| Experts have worried that climate change will hurt many poor people in Vietnam. Photo: AFP |
15-09-15
Just the last few days in Saigon. It is a totally out of control situation!
08-09-15
Talking over the same issues again and again and all the time ending and publishing the same outcome is a art of stupidity it self! Vietnam forgets to act!
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| The lost 'world' of Cua Dai! |
New 'Erosion' Talks, Hoi An
06-09-15
Between Denial & Dreaming
While maybe not always thought about we can conclude that climate change and pullution is borderless. Certain problems (Tsjernobyl, Fukushima) have their effect world wide.
Often in the West we are proud about our advantaged techniques concerning solar, wind energy and other solutions the scale it is used to tackle environmental problems. We also have to realise that in other parts of the world nothing is done yet and could have an enormous impact on the rest of the world.
The problems in Syria is not only about what we read in the news but also triggered by climate change. In Vietnam more than 30 million people live in lower delta area's. Already these area's including Hoi An (Quang Nam Province) gets' effected by it. Vietnam should work hard to build a dike system and start developing their infrastructure more land inwards to avoid what is happening in countries like Syria. Not only food problems but also social unrest could be the result in this part of the world also fueld by land and sea disputed between China and other countries in the region.
How Climate Change is Spurring a Global Refugee Crisis to Rapidly Worsen
Over the past two weeks, news of the plight of a swelling wave of refugees fleeing to Europe has filled the mainstream media. We looked on in horror at reports of innocent human beings fleeing destabilised countries in the Middle East, of people suffocating while stuffed into the backs of trucks, of drowned children washed up on the shores of nations their families had hoped would care for them.
It’s all a part of a growing global mass migration. A tragic dislocation and diaspora. But this time it’s not only birds, or polar bears, or fish, or walruses, or insects, or plants that are being forced to move by habitat and food loss, by detoxified environments or by increasingly dangerous weather. It’s human beings too.
Climate Change as Threat Multiplier in Syria
Syria was never a stable country. At least not so long as colonial and post colonial powers inhibited its development as a functional state. There was always a reason for interference in Syria’s affairs and for a related exploitation of its resources. As the fossil fuel age dawned, such interference became even more intense. Powerful nations and empires wanted Syria’s oil. And when Syria’s oil was gone and the country left suffering from the bitter after-effects of that resource’s deleterious curse, those same powers wanted Syria to remain both stable and weak. To remain sidelined so as not to influence the flow of oil from nearby countries. Countries like Iraq where the West has conducted an ongoing war since the early 1990s.
We justified this under such international relations terms as the realism-based ‘rational self interest of nations.’ And it was this self interest paradigm that national and international businesses — primarily oil companies — used to justify an ongoing exploitation of an increasingly fractured land, its people, and of a resource itself whose continued burning would make an ugly situation far, far worse.
On October 13 of 2014, US Secretary of Defence Chuck Hagel called human-forced climate change, through the fossil fuel based dumping of carbon into the atmosphere, a ‘threat multiplier’ saying:
“Rising global temperatures, changing precipitation patterns, climbing sea levels and more extreme weather events will intensify the challenges of global instability, hunger, poverty, and conflict. They will likely lead to food and water shortages, pandemic disease, disputes over refugees and resources, and destruction by natural disasters in regions across the globe.”
What he failed to mention, however, was that for Syria and ISIS it had already happened.
The Drought that Forge ISIS
Before there was ISIS, there was drought. A three year long drought beginning in 2007 and finally ending in 2010. A drought so severe and intense that it basically wiped out Syria’s farming industry. The farmers, mostly family farmers, were faced with a situation in which water use was terribly constrained (due to the combined drought severity and the short-sighted policies of the Syrian government). Farm after farm failed. By 2011, more than 1.5 million people had migrated from the ruined and desiccated rural farms to the cities. Cities that, in turn, became hot-beds of unrest and insurgency.
A scientific report published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences in March found that Syria’s epic 2007-2010 drought had been developing over the course of a century of warming. That the drought was both spurred and made more severe by human forced climate change. And that the increased intensity of drought added by human forced warming likely pushed Syria’s rural farms past the breaking point. The report noted:
There is evidence that the 2007−2010 drought contributed to the conflict in Syria. It was the worst drought in the instrumental record, causing widespread crop failure and a mass migration of farming families to urban centres. Century-long observed trends in precipitation, temperature, and sea-level pressure, supported by climate model results, strongly suggest that anthropogenic forcing has increased the probability of severe and persistent droughts in this region, and made the occurrence of a 3-year drought as severe as that of 2007−2010 2 to 3 times more likely than by natural variability alone. We conclude that human influences on the climate system are implicated in the current Syrian conflict.
The drought, therefore, led to desperation, hunger, anger, and unrest. It provided a mass of displaced persons who had lost the means to provide for themselves and their families. It provided both the trigger and the means for the development of what would later become ISIS (for more on how the Syrian drought helped destabilise the country
Threat multiplier indeed.
Worst Heatwave in 130 Years Forces Russian Crop Failures, Spurs Arab Spring
As is well known, the flood of refugees coming to European shores are not solely Syrian. Libya, Egypt and a broad number of African and Middle Eastern countries now face destabilising unrest, violence, and growing numbers of internally displaced persons seeking asylum in other countries. It is this now endemic instability and displacement that can be primarily linked back to two events — drought-spurred crop failures in 2010 and the related food riots that ignited what is now known as the Arab Spring.
In Syria, 1.5 million people were directly displaced as the result of a climate change worsened drought. In the Middle East as a whole, nations were indirectly destabilised due to a crop-destroying and climate change worsened heatwave in Russia which set off a wide-ranging food crisis. This destabilisation, in its turn, led to still more internally displaced persons in places like Libya and Egypt. Many of whom eventually joined the rising flood of human traffic to the still greener shores of Europe.
And it is in this way that climate change is a root cause to Europe’s refugee crisis. For without climate change we remove the extreme weather amplifier which is a trigger to the whole growing disaster.
Refugee Crisis is Massive, Global, and Growing
Unfortunately, Europe, Africa, and the Middle East are not the only regions seeing growing bodies of internally and internationally displaced persons. This week, President Obama in a recent visit highlighted the plight of tens of thousands of Alaskan coastal dwellers whose 31 communities are being devoured by an increasingly stormy and rising Arctic Ocean. In Pakistan coastal farmers are fleeing inland as the fertile lands in the Indus River Delta are being tainted with salt. So far, the count of migrant climate change refugees due to farmland loss is 150,000 Pakistanis. But as seas continue to rise, the situation only worsens. In Bangladesh, cities are already overcrowded with tens of thousand fleeing a rapidly receding coastline. And in the Pacific, low lying island dwellers in the Maldives, Kirubati, and hundreds of other shrinking atolls are seeking homes in far-flung countries possessing lands well above the rising tides.
In total, around the world, 158 million people were displaced by extreme weather events related to climate change since 2008. The fires, floods, hurricanes, extreme droughts, heatwaves and other storms are all growing worse, more violent, more likely to destroy homes and livelihoods. And it’s due to the heat we’ve added into the Earth’s climate system that extreme weather is now a greater direct cause of displacement than even the terrible scourge of warfare.
http://robinwestenra.blogspot.nl/2015/09/abrupt-climate-change-other-side-of.html
In total, around the world, 158 million people were displaced by extreme weather events related to climate change since 2008. The fires, floods, hurricanes, extreme droughts, heatwaves and other storms are all growing worse, more violent, more likely to destroy homes and livelihoods. And it’s due to the heat we’ve added into the Earth’s climate system that extreme weather is now a greater direct cause of displacement than even the terrible scourge of warfare.
Some of the persons driven from their homes by such worsening events are able to eventually return to their livelihoods. But some are bereft of necessary aid — living in regions or nations which lack the resources to help. Such persons eventually become tent dwellers or add to the ever-growing tide of people seeking refuge in other, more seemingly stable, countries.
Climate change, extreme weather, human displacement and related political instability are thus now linked in a broad web that spans the globe. And the situation keeps getting worse and worse. It’s a situation that won’t change anytime soon. And one that can only be abated by a concerted response by nations — all of which are now under threat — to both help those people put in this terrible situation and to stop worsening the damage through a rapid cessation of fossil fuel based carbon emissions. Otherwise, by failing to rapidly act, by focusing instead on broadening warfare and conflict rather than root causes, more and more nations and regions will fall under the threat of destabilisation, mass impoverishment and collapse as this climate change spurred crisis grows in scope, breadth and intensity.
http://robinwestenra.blogspot.nl/2015/09/abrupt-climate-change-other-side-of.html
05-09-2015
One of the reasons the flow in the Vu Gia river got drastically changed over the years. Also it resulted in te lost of agricultural land and riverbanks weakened. In combination with deforestation the waterflow coming from the mountains ia much stronger and faster so destructive for lower area's in this case Hoi An!
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| With at the background parts of the Trung Suong Mountain Area where deforestation also is rampant! |
Some great news from Quang Ngai Province where they will start building Vietnam's first solar power plant.
Vietnam's first solar plant!
Green Apple #Hoi An Blog
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15-08-15
What makes Vietnam, Hoi An not to address it's environmental problems?
While pollution, deforestation, erosion and other environmental problems continue at high speed and are hardly addressed there are more issues to add what makes Vietnam quickly is losing control.
China want to bring more industry to Vietnam because labour costs in Vietnam are cheaper. These industries need electricity and produce more waste. There is hardly any control on waste discharge and if there is officials are willing to accept bribes caused by Vietnamese culture and low salaries.
The idea of building nuclear power plants in Vietnam must be a signal to the world of great concern because of the total lack of discipline, knowledge and one of the worst safety records in the world.
Problems with climate change, salinisation of agriculture grounds in the delta's and the enormous amount of pesticides used to keep the food supply going is far from sustainable and worsening.
With a growing population and therefore more pressure on the food and water supply and with no solutions on short notice what to expect?
In Hoi An it's only 6 weeks to go before rainy season starts. The coastal protection which should be done and finished now has hardly taken place. At many beaches it still exists out of sand bags and the concrete shore protection made earlier is poorly made.
With some of the resorts having now big boulders to protect the grounds and buildings it only amplifies the power of the waves. Even so the waves will crash over the rocks and start digging behind them. Still no adequate solutions are applied.
While the problems in Hoi An, Quang Nam Province are addressed in many reports even going back till 2008 and the last in 2014 it feels it get totaly ignored by officials. Japan and Dutch organisations have given advice and solutions to tackle the problems along the beach but no action is taken accept - again - of the amaturistic ones like sandbags along Cua Dai Beach and a concrete shore protection which has proven already to fail because of the poor quality of the cement and the way it is constructed.
Hoi An could lose after this storm season 20% of it's tourist potential because of the disappearing beaches. An Bang which has been very popular this year is the next strip to vanish into the sea.
As long as the local and provincial governments refuse to address this problem serious or start to cooperate with foreign companies who have proven over the years to have the knowledge of tackling these problems the worst has to be expected!
Coal-Caked Home Shows Danger of Vietnam’s Cheap Power
Dien Bien loses forests to illegal loggers
06-08-15
Vietnam’s Hoi An faces imminent risk of losing beach to coastal erosion
Experts and authorities in a central Vietnamese city that houses a UNESCO-recognized old town have been spooked by the grim prospect that a stunning beach along its coastline could disappear altogether due to alarming soil erosion.
Cua Dai Beach, which is a gem of Hoi An City's tourist industry and a major draw to international tourists, is being wiped out by sea waves at an alarming rate.
Located in Quang Nam Province, Hoi An City includes the famous Hoi An Ancient Town that was declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1999.
The beach has seen relentless, devastating coastal erosion since October last year, with the damage spiraling out of control recently.
Experts at several seminars held to address the issue have unanimously agreed that the malady is mostly put down to hydroelectric dams, which block the silt and sand currents from upstream, and rampant sand mining along the Vu Gia-Thu Bon, a major river system in the area.
Associate Professor Vu Thanh Ca, of the Vietnam Administration of Seas and Islands, dismissed climate change as the culprit of the coastal erosion.
“The water level rise at Cua Dai Beach is around 30 centimeters, which causes considerably less extensive erosion than it is now,” he noted.
Assoc. Prof. Ca then said that the massive change in the sand volume, mostly along the Vu Gia-Thu Bon Rivers, is to blame for the situation.
In recent times, the rivers and their tributaries, such as Vinh Dien and Chim, have crawled with sand mines, which operate at full capacity to supply the material for mushrooming building sites in the neighborhood.
According to Bui Van Ba, of the Quang Nam Department of Natural Resources and Environment, 15 units have obtained permits to exploit sand along the Vu Gia-Thu Bon Rivers, while 40 others are currently applying for such licenses.
Over the past three years, the area has also seen a surge in the number of hydroelectric dams built upstream on the rivers, which has resulted in a sharp rise in the volume of sand and mud on the riverbeds.
According to a recent report released by the provincial People’s Committee, the Vu Gia-Thu Bon Rivers are now home to 10 terraced hydroelectric plants, with 32 other medium and small plants in their proximity.
“The reservoirs upstream block a huge volume of sand and mud and cause a serious shortage of sand and mud at the estuaries. It’s the hidden culprit of coastal erosion in Hoi An,” Assoc. Prof. Ca concluded.
Professor Hitoshi Tanaka, from Japan’s Tohoku University, endorsed Assoc. Prof. Ca’s hypothesis, stressing that the upstream system has a lot to do with the erosion.
The alarming coastal erosion has dealt a devastating blow to the owners of the luxury resorts along the coast and adversely impacted their business.
Several construction sites at resorts have been swallowed by waves, bringing work to a complete standstill.
Sea water is on the verge of encroaching on the resorts’ properties, putting their potential clients off spending their stays there.
The resort owners have taken matters into their own hands by erecting dozens of steel poles in the area to act as dykes.
Hundreds of sand sacks are placed on coconut tree bases to boost soil retention.
However, the spontaneous dyke erection also backfires, causing unsightly spectacles and aggravating the soil attrition in the neighboring areas, according to Dr. Le Dinh Mau, of the Nha Trang Institute of Oceanography in the south-central province of Khanh Hoa.
For instance, the northern zone of Cua Dai Beach has incurred the most worrying damage partly due to the protective structures around the beach resorts on Au Co and Lac Long Quan Streets, Dr. Mau added.
“The beaches, and Cua Dai in particular, make up half of Hoi An’s tourism appeal, so the loss of Cua Dai Beach will adversely impact the city’s economic growth,” Nguyen Su, the Hoi An City Party Committee secretary, noted.
The corrosion has also taken a toll on the area’s coastal culture, as land being eaten away has pushed residents further ashore, which gnaws at their time-honored fishing and sea-related cultural traditions.
Long-running solutions needed
Assoc. Prof. Ca, of the Vietnam Administration of Seas and Islands, urged that all sand mining activity be strictly banned in the downstream areas of the Thu Bon River and on the province’s entire coastline.
Specialized dykes should be built to shield Cua Dai Beach from further attrition, he suggested.
Meanwhile, Assoc. Prof. Tran Thanh Tung, of Hanoi-based Thuy Loi University, proposed sand be ‘cultivated’ to make amends for the lost volume.
Local scientists also called for cultivating protective forests and exerting more soil retention efforts.
Nguyen Van Hien, head of the Hoi An City Office of Natural Resources and Environment, told Tuoi Tre (Youth) newspaper that the city is mulling setting up specialized dykes and running ‘sand farms’ at the same time to combat the erosion.
05-08-15
Commune level authorities have been involved in illegal deforestation!
One of the underlining problems on all levels of issues like environmental one is rampant corruption in Vietnam!
A total of 358,797 hectares (886,606 acres) of forest have been destroyed over the past seven years, according to the report by the Central Highlands Steering Committee, an advisory agency for the Party.
Tran Duc Thanh, deputy director of the Economic Department under the committee, said the regional forests have not only been declining in area but also in quality.
The region now has 2.25 million hectares of forest, of which 45 percent are in poor health.
24-07-15Climate change and population problem in Vietnam
And these are not the only problems! Because of the higher temperatures at night the grains from rice grow less. Salination and polution of all rivers in Vietnam threaten all agricultural activities. Vietnam has now 90+ million inhabitants and is still a rice exporter. In 2030 it will be about 110 million and can only grow rice for their own use. In 2040 Vietnam has to start importing rice!
19-07-15
An article which covers one of the biggest environmental problems in Vietnam; the none interest in their own environment by Vietnamese. The last 10 years there has been so many articles, meetings, information at schools, local communities, etc. by government officials, schools, universities, delegations from the UN, UNIDO, German, Danish and Japanese organisation, on radio and TV but still people hide behind excuses of having no awareness on all levels. Control by police or government officials is weak because of none interest and no chance to make money on the side.
Vietnam's littering problem!
A good lesson for Vietnamese
There is no excuse anymore to say you did not know! Come from behind you desks, set your 'arrogant pride' aside and try to keep YOUR environment clean especially for your children from who you say you are so proud of.
17-07-15
Forest rangers blamed for Illegal logging cases near Da Nang
Da Nang cracks down on beach litter
29-06-15
Foreign arrivals continue to fall!
Sustainable development has become a critical problem for the region in the wake of severe environmental pollution, diminishing natural resources and climate change impacts.
Green tourism could help solve the problems that keep tourists from coming to Viet Nam - or from returning after their first visit. In this vein, participants at a workshop yesterday focusing on the development of green tourism in the Cuu Long (Mekong) Delta suggested the establishment of a steering committee to head the effort.
In Hoi An, which should be Vietnam's Eco town in 2030 realy nothing is happening yet concerning green tourism! Meetings, workshops, meetings!
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| Or it must be the armada of more than 80 speedboats racing to the protected bioSpere of Lao Cham what is ment by the government as eco tourism? |
Illegal gold mining pollutes environment
'Thong said, adding that his administration did not have the authority or resources to deal with the issue on its own right.
The commune has set up a four-member inspection team, but the inspectors could only issue a maximum fine of VND2 million (US$95), which was not an effective deterrent. The illegal miners paid the fine and resumed their activities'.
Some good news!
Solid waste treatment complex inaugurated in Da Nang city
26-06-15
Flash floods are one of the dangers of rainy season. While management from hydro electric dams still have problems when to release water from the basins, down in the delta is too much built and paved. If you look around there is hardly any soil visible in urbanised area's. Water can not be absorbed anymore and can only go in one direction and that's up! In these cases you get quickly a strong flow of water what can undermine house, pillars from bridges and take people!
Flash floods kill 7, leave 4 missing in northern Vietnam
16-06-2015
Like earlier mentioned El Nino and the thereby caused drought in many provinces starts taking it's toll.
Harsh drought in central Vietnam blamed on El Nino
Many people start to get fed up with the enormous amount of unfinished resort projects along the coast between Danang and Hoi An.
Unfinished resorts occupy beaches in Vietnam’s Da Nang despite ultimatum
Green Apple Hoi An mentioned this a few times over the years and I made a small clip 3 years ago about the enormous amount of unfinished resorts!
11-06-15
Some good news. Vietnamese farmers make solar-powered boat .
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| Tourists boats in Hoi An waiting for customers. |
10-06-15
Would you develop and build a 4 billion US dollar Casino resort complex in an area prone to storms, (flash) floods and in the top five of most effected countries if it is about climate change and sea level rising?
Construction of the nuclear power plants is expected to begin in 2017
08-06-15
One of the many articles about erosion at Cua Dai Beach, Hoi An. While great solutions are offered, techniques are there, the local- and Quang Nam Government still work in an
Vietnam UNESCO heritage threatened by erosion as dams stop sedimentation
amateurisch way to solve problems which already there for years and known by research and experience by third parties.
With the Pacific and the South China Sea or East Sea warming up above 'normal', Central Vietnam could expect heavy weather only 4 month from now!
Vietnam’s Hoi An faces imminent risk of losing beach to coastal erosion
Solutions like below are possible but need serious funding and involvement from foreign companies!
Rescue plan for Hoi An!
07-06-15
2 Articles which really amazes me. First in an article with the header, 'VN leads in renewable energy' saying:
'An encouraging sign for Vietnam was its high proportion of electricity generated through renewables instead of fossil fuels, with hydro power accounting for almost half of its entire electricity generation'.
VN leads in renewable energy
Knowing that hydro electric dams cause immense damage to the environment, the benefits could be easily overturned by the losses!
Another article about the wish to develop nuclear power plants in Vietnam. The sentence:
According to the scientist, in the current context of global warming, nuclear energy is still the best option as it does not create a greenhouse effect, one of the factors blamed for climate change. In addition, the cost of nuclear energy in many countries is cheaper than that of coal-fired energy, geo-energy, wind energy or hydro energy.
Also in this article no remarks about the storage of nuclear waste, the development of a nuclear power plant(s) in a country, an environment which is most effected by climate change - read rising sea levels and more and stronger typhoons - but proven with the worst records about safety! You really want to build nuclear power plants Russia and or Japan in Vietnam?
Ninh Thuan Nuclear Power Plant 1
02-06-15
Vietnam's government is putting
the environment at huge risks by approving many riverside and seaside
golf courses, whose uses of fertilisers and pesticides are alarmingly high, experts said. With the MontgomerieLinks and the Danang Golf Club 'around the corner' it surely put
extra strain on the water supplies and aquifers in this area. In combination with 'heavy' agricultural activities,
salinization from the rivers, (illegal) gold mining up-streams, deforestation , the enormous amount of tourist activities and Hoi An stil having no waste water installation it is a no-brainer that this will have a negative impact on the environment!
The cost of having fun: Golf courses are 'killing' Vietnam's environment
27-05-15
The heat continuous in parts of Vietnam and also in Central Vietnam. Agriculture is effected and water resources dangerous low. The water level in the Red River’s lower course has fallen by 2-4 meters over the last 10 years, causing pollution, damage to riverside landscapes, and lowering of underground water.
Scientists believe the major reason is sand overexploitation. They based their conclusion on research conducted on a long section of the river over the last 20 years. They have also found that the river’s water level rises and falls at different times.
Many rivers in Vietnam have similar problems and again large hydro power reservoirs in the upper course of rivers amplify all the existing problems including erosion along the coast. There is still a lot of talking, meetings and hugging of those who are responsible but will there be any action?.
New heat wave to grip north, central Vietnam this week
23-05-15
The Green One UN House (GOUNH)
22-05-15
Vietnam needs to introduce a climate budget.
Vietnam needs some US$30 billion to response to climate change
21-05-15
In the 2010 we had a major drought in Vietnam what made the government in the Mekong shut down the water inlets for the clean water system. The filters could not handle the enormous amount of salt in the water.
Hoi An is at the end of the Thu Bon River. If there is not enough water up-stream and in the reservoirs from the Hydro plants certainly there is not enough water in the delta area. In combination with more salt water intrusion, deforestation, mono cultures pesticides and waste from almost 2 million tourists it creates a toxic environment which is not directly visible but surely has it's effect on agriculture, water supplies and so on the local community and tourism.
Deforestation makes the fertile topsoil disappear and is part of the reason flash floods appear!
Deforestation, mono cropping and intensive pesticide use that helped create the boom now leaves coffee farms more vulnerable to climate change.
20-05-15
Plastic, a big draw for camera wielding tourists!
19-05-15
Water pollution is a major problem in Vietnam. Even in Hoi An where there is no 'heavy industry' is a massive water pollution caused by raw sewage from around 2 million tourists and locals, agriculture (pesticides, fertilisers) and residues from agent orange and other agents which has spread out over the years via rivers, creeks and aquifers.
200.000 People diagnosed with cancer a year by using polluted water.
17-05-15
Now the Cua Dai Bridge project coming to a point it can be used soon by 'some kind of traffic' and the construction of the South Hoi An Casino & Resort project taking of soon, some pieces of the puzzle fall in place.
While still working on the connecting roads it will be possible soon to bring building material from Danang to the South Hoi An Project.
The connection with Tam Ky is still a long time to go so expect soon more heavy trucks on the road along Ha My-, An Bang-, Hidden- and Cua Dai Beach!
But ask yourself! Why would you build a 4 billion dollar project in an area which:
By 2020, provincial experts say, flooding in these low-lying coastal areas will submerge over 306sq.km. Hoi An will be hit hardest, with flooding predicted in more than 26 per cent of the city, followed by Dien Ban District with 26 per cent, Duy Xuyen District with 16 per cent and Nui Thanh District with 15 per cent.
Rising sea levels threaten Central Vietnam's coastline!
16-05-15
Real good news is the end of the Gam-Ecoi Project in the middle of the river between Cam Nam Island and Hoi An, opposite the Anantara Resort. It started in 2008 and was doomed from the beginning. Who wants to build in a river with strong currents and flooding almost every year. A total waste of resources and money. Hopefully it will be planted now with native plants to form a green buffer in the overdeveloped Hoi An area!
Gami project comes to an halt!
10-05-15
Vietnamese government takes climate change seriously!
Indeed we always hope governments will put above in practise but often reality is different! Hollow phrases like:
- National Assembly and Government have developed and issued many policies and laws, gradually creating a legal framework and policy environment and Vietnam has achieved progress in international cooperation and
- integration for its climate change response, earning recognition from its partners and drawing more assistance does not take away the feeling that in practise little is done.
Material used to build coastal protection is often from bad quality, solutions amaturistic and money is disappearing in pockets of people where it does not belong!
Climate change and ignorance is already effecting Vietnam's coastline in a dramatic way. With El-Nino soon again in full swing we can expect massive damage the next storm season!
07-05-15
Unfortunate this article could fit many places in the world and sure sends a message to all involved, inhabitants, tourists expats and governments. The message that tourist places are often littered gets main stream. People can decide to go everywhere for their holidays. Also in Hoi An, the beaches next to the resorts are often full with waste! Managers of these resorts forget that tourists 'walk', see the waste and take the experience back home!
Phan Thiet will become a dump unless we do this
30-04-15
Good action from the U-cafe in Hoi An. Volenteers will check the water quality in Hoi An for one year. Green Apple Hoi An is looking forward to see the results.
U-Cafe Hoi An, an eco social project.
26-04-15
While the flow of not so positive news about the environment and tourism in Vietnam continuous a lot of people including expats tumble over each other with comments that people writing this are not informed, miss the point or are just annoying.
Comparing apples and pear makes no sense at all and yes sure at many other places in the world we have similar problems! The question is do we like to have the same destruction in
Hoi An to let it go under by ignorance and miss management or do we want to manage the town in such a way that it has a possibility to survive.
Hoi An has avoided for a long time high rise buildings close to the old quarter but now happily announces the opening of the new Royal Hoi An hotel.
Now 'experts' come to the conclusion that Hydro Plants course part of the beach erosion which destroyed Cua Dai Beach totally and will continue till all the beach all the way till the Palm Garden Resort in about 3 years time. Of course this was known already for years. read more reports from the UN on Hoi An.
Hydropower plants, resorts cause severe erosion in Hoi An: experts
An Bang is now overwhelmed by a construction boom even accelerating it's destruction. Quick money and sticking the heads in the hardly left sand dunes seams to be the way to go.
Villagers become forest guardians as Vietnam fails to stop rampant illegal logging
In some area's in Vietnam people take measures in own hand because from the local governments they can't expect a lot.
And while most of the wild life is disappearing in Vietnam we keep on miss using these animals for tourist and other reasons.
Vietnam’s last elephants dying due to poaching, deforestation
13-04-15
April 2015 had a row of less positive publicity in Vietnamse local newspapers. As so often it was about issues which are 'difficult' to address by the government. Environmental problems of all sorts, behavior issues, corruption ertc and many related with tourism.
Below some of the articles:
Plastic bag pollution continues unabated in Vietnam
One third of tap water got lost through leaky pipes!
Vietnamese man shares illegal logging video on Facebook
The Declining State of Tourism in Vietnam!
One of the many articles published about the decline of tourism in Vietnam. While one of the reasons of the massive decline comes from the Russians (Ruble related) and Chinese (protests April 2014) who stay away it is clear that behavior (image) and environmental problems
which are so often published over the years are not addressed. Or the Vietnamese government simply does not understand how to address them!
12-04-15
Some good news. It is not directly connected with Hoi An but hopefully it will in the future!
Russian co Arman working on 100-MW solar project in Vietnam
Panasonic Donates 630 Solar Lanterns to Vietnam
09-04-15
Study finds large dioxin emissions from Vietnam's waste treatment plants.
While this article not directly points to Hoi An or Danang we can expect the waste treatment plants in this area facing similar problems as mentioned in the article below!.
Not only for tourism bad news but especially for local people who are exposed to these hazards every day!
Many incinerators that burn industrial and medical waste in Vietnam are discharging dangerous amounts of dioxin, some at 5,000 times the safe limit, according to a new research.
31-03-15
Tripadvisor about Cua Dai Beach!
Some recent reviews about Cua Dai Beach. Not all is doom and gloom but sure it will effect tourism!
31-03-15
An article from January 2015 with still actual information.
Poor river management, excessive coastal development and some nasty storms!
Review
Hoi An’s beaches are a major attraction in their own right and a great compliment to the old town. But take note, Cua Dai beach, a long time favourite and the location of many resorts, was washed away in 2014 and looks unlikely to return any time soon.
A mix of poor river management, excessive coastal development and some nasty storms are blamed for Cua Dai beach’s disappearance. Climate change and seasonal shifts may have also played a part.
Further north, An Bang beach has also been impacted by erosion but it’s holding its ground. Once considered the groovy, local alternative to busy Cua Dai, An Bang is now the best beach option for visitors to Hoi An.
Around 6kms from downtown, An Bang is making its new stream of visitors welcome with deck chairs, palm frond umbrellas and there’s a great range of restaurants serving everything from delicious local seafood to western dishes. Check our restaurant guide for more information.
The busiest western restaurant on the beach, Soul Kitchen, a popular hangout with Hoi An expats, has day-beds and live music on Sunday afternoons.
Business owners on An Bang beach have faced threats of closure at various times in recent years so keep an eye out for sudden changes. The Hoi An beach situation is volatile and by all accounts, so too is the situation for business owners at An Bang.
25-03-14
Repairs at Cua Dai Beach.
Thanks to some students from different Skandinavia I got some photo's from the recent repairs at Cua Dai Beach. It seems that sandbags are still the prefered way to stop the waves doing more harm at the beach.
You would expect after all the studies and organisations involved it would be done in a more susutainable, professional way.
Next storm season is only half a year away! If this part does not get secured the South part of Cua Dai could be cut off.
12-03-15
I got an interesting article about Hoi An:'Rise and fall of Hoi An. It addresses especially the role of UNESCO.
https://mail.google.com/mail/u/0/#inbox/14c0d3543beb182e?projector=1
06-03-15
Not in Hoi An but Halong Bay. Halong Bay is one of the heritage sites from Vietnam. Like at many sites, Vietnam has still difficulties to cope with the environmental consequences which are related with tourism. There is a total lack of education and awareness on all levels of society. In combination with no discipline of individuals and organisations a worry some development.
05-03-15
Construction on the Cua Dai Bridge Project still continuous. While there are no access roads yet, the bridge will be ready this year.
Tourism is in decline and investment projects again under pressure. Together with the environmental consequences and the future bridge planned between Cam Kim and Thanh Ha it feels that it is a total waste of resources!
08-02-15
The last few weeks the local government in Hoi An, has been busy to widen the road between the Tra Que Bridge and the traffic lights at An Bang.
17-01-15
At the moment I'm for a while outside Vietnam. I will keep you informed about environmental issues in Hoi An, Quang Nam Province as good as possible but I depend on info from third parties.
At the moment the weather is calm in Hoi An. Just some drizzle rain and chilly. Till TET the repair and construction activities at Cua Dai Beach will be slow but hopefully in March 2015 it will start in full swing.
02-01-15
The last update about the beach erosion at Cua Dai Beach en An Bang. It's clear that the damage from last year (2014) is much bigger than the years before. Common summer it will feel that the 'beach will come back' but that has more to do with the lower tides. It can be very deceitfully.
An Bang wil be very busy this year because of the enormous damage done to Cua Dai Beach. Also construction activities at Cua Dai will be the reason more people will go to An Bang. The effect will be that 'fishing town' An Bang wil be overwhelmed by tourists. More home-stays will be build, parking lots en 'restaurants' will arise en the dunes will get more under pressure.
Often there will be no toilets and waste will be berried or burned on the beach. Yet skies rentals will come and even maybe the guys with the speed boats with para sails and banana rafts will take their share.
The laid back atmosphere will be gone and we have to see how local fishing families will cope with all these tourists. I give An Bang 2 more years and than also here the beach erosion and other damage brings it's toll and the next beach beach destination will be Ha My Beach.
30-12-14
Climate change may wipe out Hoi An?
1/3 of Hoi An City’s areas (Quang Nam) is facing the risk of being submerged out by 2020 due to climate change. Although residents and local authorities have used all means to prevent, the erosion speed on Cua Dai beach is calculated by minute!
Beautiful beaches being washed away!
Hoi An City (Quang Nam) has a long coastline of about 7 kilometers; however, since 2009, coastal erosion has washed away many beautiful beaches, protection forests and encroached into the coastal residential area. Shoreline was turned up into deep hallows by wave; the public beaches were swallowed by the sea; people’s land and gardens were swept off ; hundreds of coconut trees was lodged within 5 days ... These scenes are currently taking place at Cua Dai Beach. The famous resorts such as Hoi An Beach Resort, Victoria Hoi An Beach Resort are partially collapsed by the wave. Au Co coastal road in this area used to be over 200 meters far from the sea, but now it is only about 40 meters far from the sea.
Read more by clicking on the link above!
25-12-14
Measures to prevent erosion at Cua Dai Beach
http://www.talkvietnam.com/2014/12/measures-to-prevent-erosion-at-cua-dai-beach-proposed/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=twitter&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+TalkVietnam+%28Talk+Vietnam%29
This time the Japanese Tohuku University comes with ideas & solutions for the erosion problems at Cua Dai Beach. Also Royal Haskoning DHV a Dutch engineering company, many others and myself (read blog) came with similar solutions. Will it make a difference?
24-12-14
Hoi An is planning again to start building a waste treatment plant! 7 Years ago a French company started with a similar project but left frustrated after years of battling officials.
Now Japan comes up with part of the money! We will follow the project as it progresses or.....!?
http://tuoitrenews.vn/society/21889/vietnam-oks-construction-of-wastewater-treatment-plant-in-hoi-an-ancient-town
22-12-14
A few more photo's from An Bang Beach, north, main and south part. It will be interesting to see if in spring time the 'beach will come back'!
17-12-14
While normal a little effected by erosion during storm season at the moment An Bang Beach gets more than it's usually share while the wind-speed is till low. (20 km/h)
13-12-14
The tropical storm Hagupit went to South Vietnam. We hardly had any effects of it like rain or wind. Still Cua Dai- and An Bang Beach get battered by high tide and wind (10 till 20 km/hour).
Another worrying part going on on An Bang- and Hidden beach is 'man made'. Locals dug in lots of metal pipes (60 pieces at 3 different spots) in the sand for their umbrella's. Without the umbrella's the metal pipes stick out about 10 to 15cm out of the sand. In the dark for anybody and playing children or dogs running on the beach it's pretty dangerous!
01-12-14
Yesterday more havoc at Cua Dai Beach, Hoi An. The sand bags don't hold and the beach behind gets washed away. With this week more wind and rain we can expect the damage to continue. Hopefully the restaurants keep enough space to continue their business next season and find a solution before rainy & storm season 2015.
How it was, how it is!
25-11-14
Below you can find a prediction of how fast the beach erosion process will go the next 5 ears in Hoi An, Vietnam.
The 2 sand dune photo's show that even An Bang beach - which is about 3 km from where the last Cua Dai beach erosion started - is effected.
Still there is construction going on just below the sand dunes. Big pieces of land are
Cleared from almost all vegetation. Whats left is sand and some pioneer vegetation.
23-11-14
The erosion problems at Cua Dai Beach, Hoi An are getting bigger every day! It's getting time to get more expertise on board!
Future generations will judge & blame us for our destructive legacy!
18-11-14
Hoi An's rescue plan: 1. Building dikes & locks
Click on: http://greenapplehoian.blogspot.com/2014/11/hoi-vietnam-rescue-plan.html
16-11-14
Hoi An got offered 4 million from Japan to solve the problem of the enormous river pollution around the Japanese bridge. This was in 2012. Till now (November 2014) nothing is done!
Click on:
http://www.hoianworldheritage.org.vn/en/news/Hoi-An-24h/Japan-to-offer-4-mil-for-Japanese-Bridge-pollution-treatment-255.hwh
Another article from 2008 which quote: "People don’t even realize how polluted the river is. There is no monitoring system here. This is a wake up call. It is becoming a race against time”
Click on: http://www.jica.go.jp/english/news/field/2008/081015_2.html
With all the ongoing destruction in and around Hoi An we can clearly start asking our self: does the local government understands the problems? Does the local government has the knowledge to tackle these problems? Does the local government take these problems serious?
In an article in Asia Life magazine from July 2013 we can find this, quote:
"Hoi An as an Eco-city
Although the government has adopted the UN-HABITAT/PSU eco-city suggestions, environmental protection seems to have been pushed to the side in favor of development."
Click on: http://www.asialifemagazine.com/vietnam/eco-tourism-hoi-an/
Unfortunate today that's visible true!
14-11-14
Hoi An builds dykes to protect popular attractions
Cua Dai Beach today:
12-11-14
The last view days there was some minor wind in Hoi An. About 12 km/hour. This was enough to take away more beach at Cua Dai. A metal 'wall' to protect whats left of the beach between Victoria- and Hoi An Beach resort causes more turmoil in the water what makes the waves even more destructive.
The wind speed will stay the same the next few days but Tuesday and Wednesday it will around 20 km/hour. The first restaurants start losing their beach space and in the worst scenario parts of their gardens will be taken by the waves. Yesterday there were only 4 army guys and some local people to help with filling and placing sandbags. With an
emergency situation like this you would expect much more support from the authorities!
08-11-14
While we go from one to another worrying news feed, the information about Hoi An's crumbling beaches keeps appearing in the Vietnamese news papers.
Below some articles:
http://tuoitrenews.vn/lifestyle/23883/vietnams-hoi-an-old-town-losing-beach-to-alarming-coastal-erosion
http://english.vietnamnet.vn/fms/environment/115907/serious-soil-erosion-threatens-central-region.html
In the article in the Vietnet paper they forget to write that flooding is caused by bad management of people involved in daily operations of the hydro electric dams.
Also they forget that poor concrete (to much sand) was the reason that in the Tam Hai island commune in Nui Thanh District, the solid embankment section with the length of two kilometers, built in 2012, was broken by strong sea waves.
03-11-04
The last month one after another article is published about problems with tourism and the environment. Today 'Domestic climate change study paints bleak picture for Vietnam' in the Thanhnien newspaper. Click on:
http://www.thanhniennews.com/society/domestic-climate-change-study-paints-bleak-picture-for-vietnam-33476.html
You should think the alarm-bells should go off on all levels and people in charge would act. We don't need more reports, it's clear what has to be done!
31-10-14
A report about Hoi An, Vietnam. It mentioned most of the aspects which need urgently attention from all involved! A must read for people who live, want to live and are serious about the environment in Hoi An. Click on:
http://greenapplehoian.blogspot.com/2014/10/hoi-vietnam-in-dire-state.html
19-10-14
Erosion on Cua Dai Beach? What should we do?
http://www.tripadvisor.in/ShowTopic-g298082-i9204-k7867235-Erosion_on_Cua_Dai_beach_What_should_we_do-Hoi_An_Quang_Nam_Province.html
“Since 2000 when starting the construction of this resort, sea from
stone embankment of the resort over 45m.But since 2009, edge of the sea
comes into embankment. In the summer we also have a little beach, but
when winter comes, the waves were at the foot of embankments as to
"swallow" all works in there. Not only Victoria hotels but also hotels
along HoiAn Beach, from Palm Garden hotel to Cua Dai river, "Claude M. Balland, CEO of Hotel Victoria Hoi An Resort & Spa said.
http://www.hoianbeachresorts.com/2013/10/hoian-at-risk-of-losing-white-beach.html
These projects include Sunrise Hoi An Resort owned by Ocean Hospitality & Service JSC, Hoi An Hideaway Resort, a resort developed by Hoi An Tourist Holding Company and the other project of Cu Lao Cham Tourist JSC.
http://www.vir.com.vn/hoi-an-projects-could-wash-away.html
14-10-14
The alarming rate of erosion of the beaches in Hoi An could have devastating consequences for tourism in the near future.
The last week only with high tide and minor wind and rain 50 meters of beach over a length of 300 meter was 'eaten' by the waves!
It's now time for real action before Hoi An will lose it's appetite by tourists as a beach holliday destination!
http://www.thanhniennews.com/society/a-third-of-vietnams-ancient-town-could-soon-be-under-water-32488.html
29-09-14
PM Nguyen Tan Dung on September 28 attended a ceremony to connect Cua Dai bridge spans in the central province of Quang Nam.
We hope with all the erosion at Cua Dai Beach there will be still 'something to connect' in the near future!
http://thutuong.chinhphu.vn:2012/Home/Cua-Dai-bridge-spans-linked/20149/2576.vgp
22-08-14
http://vietnamnews.vn/society/259160/hoi-an-to-build-erosion-barriers.html
16-06-14
The Cua Dai Bridge project not only has trouble to collect the funds it needs there are also rumors that the pillars & columns of the bridge are designed in the wrong way.
First an article from March this year; Vietnam Breaking News!
Cua Dai Bridge is among the province’s key projects, but it has faced the great difficulty of financial shortage. However, this project got the provincial priority thanks to its expected contribution to local socio-economic development. Up to now, 65% of this project has been done with VND 1,070 billion financed by government bonds. This bridge is expected to be put into operation by September 2 th , 2014. Probably September 2015!
Above you can see how far they were in April 2014. I would say September 2015 would be a better guess!
A more worrying rumor is that the pillars & columns are wrong designed and that they never will stand the forces of floodwater, tidal differences and typhoons. The river banks and river bottom is very muddy & sandy! With thousands of m3 sand washed away and added by floods and tidal differences this could undermine and reduce the support of the pillars & columns. In combination with extreme wind forces which occurs during typhoon season the results could be catastrophic. Also the very short distance of the bridge to the river mouth is worrying.
Like written before (07-12-13) on this blog, it's still hard to believe that this bridge and connecting roads really are necessary for supporting tourism and economical reasons.
From information I got it's another important 'extra' north south connection which in case of emergency (war) gives an extra possibility to transport 'goods' quickly from the Tam Ky area to Danang which has a deep sea port. As back up we also have Highway nr 1, the future Trans Central Vietnam Highway and the Ho Chi Minh Trail route (MH14, 15, 16).
With growing tensions in the East Sea region with Japan, Philippines, Vietnam and China involved we could maybe expect a speeding up of the building activities.
In meantime there is a bigger presence of US warships in the Pacific Region. There are 3 Chinese nuclear submarines signaled in the region and Japan, Philippines and Vietnam are prepping up their 'navy & war assets. China started also to build an artificial island for a runway and other military supporting activities.
With all the energy alternatives and new oil findings founds recently it's difficult to understand that our political leaders still are focused on military pressure and action!
As long if this 'mind set' rules the world there is no hope for peace!
02-06-14
Time flights when you are having fun! The solar installation works and with the first power cut 2 weeks ago, our solar system took over automatically.
The Cua Dai Bridge project is on it's way and it gets serious big! It will be visible from all corners around Hoi An. Cam An, Cam Thanh, Cam Chau, Tra Que and Cam Ha. Even from the eastern tip of Cam Nam Island, the bridge will dominate the scenery!
The Water Coconut Forrest is partly shoveled away and some parts of the road gets scary close to newly planned and built urban area's.
Imagine, where there was silence, birds, nature and trees soon there will be a 4 lane road with noise of engines, horns, pollution and waste!
It looks that the bridge including layers will be ready this year. Still it will till far in 2015 the get the bridge finished. After we have to wait till all the connecting ramps, roads and bridges. This will take at least till 2016, 2017.
The first bridge will be a connection between the new road and the developing area opposite Golden Sand Resort. That area is under siege of erosion and the pounding waves of the East Sea.
Big holes in the concrete shore protection are amateurishly repaired and it's a matter of 1 big storm in October to take the road away to the harbor. From here more than 50 speeds boats are waiting to take tourists to Cham Island. Of course all this race monsters have no impact on the coral en environment of Cham Island.
The second bridge will connect the new road with the area next to the Boutique Resort. Worrying is that it looks that there will be a same level crossing or roundabout with the already overloaded Cua Dai Street.
The crossing with Hai Ba Trung Street looks also same level but the good thing is from here it will be a 2 lane road and hopefully in the future there will be more traffic channeled along other roads.
Still worrying developments which irrevocable will lead to a destruction of nature and agricultural area's in and around Hoi An.
07-05-14
Today we connected our private 'off grid' solar installation at 'Green Apple Land. Proudly I can write that this is one of the few or maybe the only off grid installation in Hoi An, Quang Nam Province or maybe even in Vietnam.
We bought a 1.6 kW fully automatic inverter, 3 panels of 230 Wat and 2 batteries of 12 volt, 200 VA each.
We have to 'play' a little bit with the equipment 'the load' we have. Lights, kitchen equipment, 3 pumps etc when all on uses much more than 1.7 kw. What is the chance and what do you use at what time in your house?
Culture Clash Vietnam
With above in time we calculated that 1.7 kW would be ok. There are much more powerful inverters but it's at a cost. Our installation is a 'test installation' which fully understand will be extended with more panels and a larger inverter.
I got help and support from:
Robert Kramreiter
Future Technology Vietnam Co., Ltd.
Energy, Environment, Consulting
Lighthouse Building, 1254-1255 Xo Viet Nghe Tinh,
Hai Chau District, Danang City, Vietnam
Tel: 09-32176057
Fax: +43-820 220 269 056
E-mail: r.kramreiter@futuretech-vietnam.com
Web: www.futuretech-vietnam.com
Nguyen Tan Bich
Solar Serve Center
Hoa Hai Ward - Ngu Hanh Son District - Danang - Vietnam
Tel: 09-195511552
02-05-14
Beach erosion in Hoi An!
When waves break at an angle to the shoreline, part of wave's energy is directed along the shore. These longshore currents flow parallel to the shore. This current will move sand along the shore and a beach will be formed.
If the walls are
maintained they may hold back the ocean temporarily. The construction of a
seawall usually displaces the open beach that it is built upon. They also
prevent the natural landward migration of an eroding beach.
When waves hit a smooth, solid seawall, the wave is reflected back towards the ocean. This can make matters worse. The reflected wave (the backwash) takes beach sand with it. Both the beach and the surf may disappear.
Seawalls can cause increased erosion in adjacent areas of the beach that do not have seawalls. This so-called "flanking shore current turns seaward, it is called a rip current.
Though
long viewed as a benign alternative to other forms of power generation, dams
and their reservoirs have been implicated in a wide range of environmental
effects including, among many, release of toxic mercury into food webs;
emissions of greenhouse gases; severe
alteration of rivers, deltas and estuaries; increased coastal erosion;
reduced biodiversity and fisheries productivity; and changes!
21-04-14
Below some Google Earth Photo's of the impact of resort building 'the wrong way' along the coast of Hoi An.
19-04-14
An endless stream of bad news about the environment in Vietnam and people keep going on to destroy! This article - and it's in Vietnam's own newspapers - again describes and proves that there is still no awareness about this phenomena!
Vietnam committing tourism hara-kiri!
http://www.thanhniennews.com/special-report/vietnam-committing-tourism-harakiri-3119.html
17-04-14
Below some articles about the beach erosion at Cua Dai Beach Area in Hoi An. It always strucks me that speaks people from government or resorts talk about 'their' financial and economical losses while the losses are for the Hoi An society as a whole and still no steps are undertaken to solve the problem:
Replanting trees, breaking down some of the resorts which are built in to the sea. Break down some of the hydro electric dams to start the natural flow of fresh water again which also can solve part of the salination issue in the rivers.
Because of the damage dome already build wave breakers from natural blocks of stones. No vertical or concrete walls which create even more kinetically force which has somewhere to go!
http://vietnamnews.vn/environment/240524/resorts-suffer-as-beach-disappears.html
http://www.hoianbeachresorts.com/2013/10/hoian-at-risk-of-losing-white-beach.html
http://www.vir.com.vn/news/en/property/hoi-an-projects-could-wash-away.html
No one in any article is mentioning the reasons why Cua Dai Beach Area is eroding at such a fast way???
16-04-14
I found this article on the internet and was slightly surprised by what was written.
Sunrise resort
Indeed the Katsana Typhoon in 2009 damaged the southern coastline of Cua Dai Beach but this process of erosion started already much earlier. Not only because of uncontrolled building along the coastline, cutting most of the trees for still unfinished development projects and the built hydro electric dams which stops bringing sediment to coastal area's.
The phrase 'From the design phase to the construction, Protection of Nature has always been considered a top concern of Sunrise Hoi An.' is more than over estimated. Not only is the Sunrise Resort reason of the speeding up of erosion along the coast it could have changed it's building footprint after the 2009 typhoon but like 2 other projects management continued developing according earlier made design.
If people really where so concerned why not designed a building which integrates in the existing environment instead of a square high building which changes wind flows. A the moment
Sunrise created an artificial beach next to the resort which causes huge erosion and was 1 of the reasons a big slice of land was washed away (see photo above) after the Nari typhoon in October 2013. Also golden Sand Resort
and Victoria operate in a similar way. Without any reinforcement Cua Dai Beach area is doomed too vanish with the next storms you can expect in the near future.
09-04-14
Yesterday we could read that Vietnam expects 9 to10 storms this year!? Storm season starts in October in Central Vietnam and I always wonder how it is possible that people make this-future weather predictions, based on....? Of course we have fortune tellers in Vietnam but eh...
I thought in 2014 do we still believe in this?
http://tuoitrenews.vn/society/18822/vietnam-to-sustain-910-direct-storms-this-year
I also wonder that till now that nobody has started yet to repair professionaly the concrete shore protection at Cua Dai
08-04-14
Source: Quang Nam Portal:
Cua Dai Port Service-Tourism Resort to be Built (24/02/2014)
through tourism industry. Hoi An City
People’s Committee is assigned the project owner.
Source: Quang Nam Portal!
02-04-14
While since a long time only Cua Dai Beach was effected by the noise and fumes of yet skies and speedboats with para sails since yesterday there is a sign at An bang Beach advertising for yet skies rentals.
An Bang still a nice and relatively quiet beach is getting the last year(s) overwhelmed with home stays. It's good tourism spreads on a small scale and locals can improve their lives. There is one big problem there are no regulations whatsoever. So depending of local officials it will go on till all is out of control. Only the last 4 weeks 6 more people start placing umbrella's, sun beds and tents on the beach. Some sell drinks, etc. So far so good but who will say enough! Now a yet sky sign, a few weeks later the first yet skies.
And tomorrow!?
Evolution has to go this way. In a few years there will be concrete walls, souvenir shops, a boulevard and most of the trees will be gone. To far fetched!? Look at the resort they are building next doors. Stopping this kind of 'progress'!?
31-03-14
The construction of the Cua Dai Bridge project is continuing. The pillars in the Thu Bon are almost finished and the layers are ready to instal and stored on the Southern banks of the Thu Bon River.
On the side of Cam Thanh more Water Coconut Trees are cut down to make the ramps and road which will be connected with the new bridge.
On the Cam Chau part they started do build a new road through agricultural area and rice fields. Soon all of Hoi An's nature will be at leas influenced by more noise, traffic and pollution. For people biking around Hoi An it will be less interesting and more dangerous. It's still not clear there will be a fly over with the crossing with the Cua Dai- and Hai Ba Trung street!?
01-02-14
Environment sacrificed for economic development!
Vietnam has to pay a heavy price for the economic growth. A lot of areas have got seriously polluted. The forests have been destroyed.
The
biodiversity has been degrading. The river water has got polluted. The
air in urban areas has got problematic. Meanwhile, big problems still
exist in the solid waste treatment.
It's the same in Hoi An and the big question is when will the people in charge wake up!
Environment sacrified for economy!
29-01-14
It's almost the Vietnamese New year and I would like to start this year positive. A few days ago we installed the frames for our solar panels on our pergola in our backgarden.
Not many people yet us solar energy to generate electricity in Vietnam. If our installation is finished we like to invite people at our home to show how it works and what the benefits are.
For more information:
Nguyen Tan Bich (Director)
Solar Serve Center - Lo 24-26 B2.7 - TDC Dong Hai
Hoa Hai Ward - Ngu Hanh Son District - Danang - Vietnam
E-mail:solarserve@yahoo.com
Dr. Robert Kramreiter
Chairman & CEO
Future Technology Vietnam Co., Ltd.
Energy, Environment, Consulting
Lighthouse Building, 1254-1255 Xo Viet Nghe Tinh,
Hai Chau District, Danang City, Vietnam
Fax: +43-820 220 269 056
E-mail: r.kramreiter@futuretech-vietnam.com
Web: www.futuretech-vietnam.com
Green Apple Land
Hans van der Broek
Tra Que, Cam Ha, Hoi An, Quang Nam Province Vietnam
E-mail: greenapplehoian@gmail.com
08-01-14
Proudly I announce the release of the documentary ‘Flood Lines’ - Urban Adoption to Climate Change in Hoi An, Vietnam.
I was fortunate to be invited by Alyssa Grinberg, Programme Specialist United Nations Human Settlements Programme too make a small contribution for this production.
03-01-14
First of all the best wishes for 2014. I hope it will be a great year with many good developments on any level.
I'm happy to announce that soon there will be a documentary available addressing the flood problems in Hoi An. I had the honer to contribute in a small part of the production. It gives a good idea about the issues Hoi An is facing and some of the solutions.
The documentary is made by: Alyssa Programme Specialist United Nations Human Settlements Programme
Another positive event is that Green Apple Hoi An together with Solar Serve and Future technology Vietnam has started a project to start produce environmental friendly fuel on a small scale. Produced oil will be offered to businesses who are involved in tourism in Hoi An. The project will be in line with the UNIDO (UN) project to develop Hoi An as the first Eco town in 2030.
The last positive news is that I just received our solar panels for ' Green Apple Land'. The panels will be brought in place the next few weeks. After TET - the Vietnamese new year - the installation will be connected and put in to operation!
26-12-13
You could say our society and everything related with it is eroding fast!
Just another project, the cleanup of the Coco River! Till know - October 2014 - nothing started yet!
http://www.talkvietnam.com/2013/12/co-co-river-cleanup-to-cost-30-million/
07-12-13
News about the storms and flood are quickly disappearing out of the news and taken over by the importance of the growing tourist industry and tourism firms’ thirst for awards resolved with poor prices!
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2013-11-21/an-vietnam-flood-toll-rises/5106768
The next few months will be interesting to see if there is any action undertaken by the Vietnamese Government to tackle some of the man made problems!
Some of the resorts are still recovering from the storms and are busy to repair. In some cases people leave the resorts because why would you pay big money to stay in a disaster area! Insurance fees will rise and management will start calculating if it's still profitable to keep some of the resorts open.
Another question arises why the government is so persistent to build a road between Tam Ky and Danang at a cost of 500 million US $ for a stretch of 100 km. Of course companies who 'bought' already some land south of the Thu Bon river will see their m2 rising with 2 or 300 %. But with predictions about more storms, flooding and worse in this area why would you build a bridge at a costs of 285 million US $ less than 1 km from the river mouth of the Thu Bon River. Tam Ky is the capital of Quang Nam Province with about 110.000 inhabitants, Some industry and 25-30 kilometers to the north of Chu Lai airport, Ky Ha port, and Chu Lai open economic zone.
The Government of Vietnam has approved an investment plan for Chu Lai airport. According to this plan, Chu Lai airport will receive nearly VND 11,470 billion (nearly $700 million)in investment for enlarging its capacity to 25 landing places by 2015 and 46 by 2025. The project will include renovation and new infrastructure, including two runways, 3,800m and 4,000m long, and 60 meters wide each, six parking lots and two transit stations. By 2010, existing runways and parking lots will be upgraded. The airport will also receive a new signal light system and control station for average sized aircraft, such as Boeing 767s and Airbus A320s. Vietnamese officials hope the airport will be able to handle 4 million passengers by completion in 2025. The airport is projected to become an air cargo transport hub, with 5 million metric tons of cargo per year.
So the need to bring tourists from Tam Ky to Danang and vice versa makes no sense because both cities have international airports. Bringing cargo from Tam Ky to Danang is possible but why would you do this along resorts, tourist activities and - yes again - through the pristine, cultural, agriculture tourist area of Hoi An?? So could it have some thing to do with the the UN under the name of Unido and Unesco. These people give money for Hoi An and 'greening' - yes you read it well - from businesses. Or has it to do with the US and Australia getting 'better friends' with Vietnam, doing military exercises together,because slowly interests shift from the Middle East to the Pacific! Nice to have some basis in Central Vietnam, Japan and the Phillipines close where the action maybe will be: China!
02-12-13
Hoi An's growing pains:
http://www.talkvietnam.com/2013/12/hoi-an-tourism-a-growing-pain/
22-11-13
Vietnam dams reviled over high death toll!
Disgruntlement and anger over rampant construction of hydroelectric dams, simmering for many years now, has risen to a crescendo in Vietnam following the death of 41 people in the central and Central Highlands regions last weekend.
What are the negative impacts of Hydro Electric Dams?
- Damage to the environment.
- people have to be re-located!
- Loss of agricultural area.
- Loss of Eco systems!
- Certain fish can not migrate anymore and will die!
- Fertile soil will stay behind the dam and sink to the bottom.
- Fertile soil will not reach the lower delta area's anymore to nourish plants.
- Water does not flow any more behind the dam and the temperature will rise.
- Organic material will start to rot and will subtract oxygen from the water.
- Fish starts to die.
- Releasing water can course strong currents.
- Damage to infrastructure!
- people die, property gets washed away.
- Economical damage because of closing down shops, factories, loss of life stock, etc.
- Weakening of the existing environmental situation!
- Sediment does not reach coastal area's which is partly used for a natural build up of beaches.
Positive:
- Electricity
- In some cases it creates recreation area's.
- In some cases it attracts new animal & plant species.
15-11-13
Fortunate the Super Typhoon Haiyan went north above the East Sea! We were very lucky especially if you see the human loss and devastation in the Philippines.
The last few days Hoi An got flooded again. The management and the government does not seam to be interested in the loss of lives and damage caused by the effects of the dam building and lack of any knowledge of the
hydro management teams of how to cope with these dams!
Below some links to articles which tells it all! In Vietnam there is no hope expected for any improvement about environmental issues.
http://www.thanhniennews.com/index/pages/20131116-floods-from-tropical-low-plus-dam-release-kill-5-in-central-vietnam.aspx
http://english.vietnamnet.vn/fms/environment/89161/scientist-admits-natural-calamities-getting-more-unpredictable.html
http://english.vietnamnet.vn/fms/environment/89073/dau-tieng-protective-forest-in-danger.html
http://english.vietnamnet.vn/fms/environment/88929/illegal-logging-damages-ca-mau-park.html
http://english.vietnamnet.vn/fms/environment/88547/hydropower-plants-haven-t-paid-debts-to-the-forests.html
It's all about more and bigger numbers while especially coastal area's and forests are crumbling. At least 5 km of beach area in Hoi An could be named a disaster zone but we keep on building, re-building, etc while beaches are disappearing, buildings are toppling over and many keep on saying;"it's no problem". Just keep on sticking you head underground!
Photo's from: Craig, Phil and Steve! Thanks!
07-11-13 Tropical storm Krosa came but was mild in compare with Typhoon Nari about 3 weeks ago! Another typhoon moves to Hoi An and this one is serious. Typhoon Haiyan
is at the moment a super Typhoon and could hit Central Vietnam as a Cat 4 Typhoon. This would course massive damage and probably the end of the southern part of Cua Dai Beach in Hoi An, Vietnam as we know!
Today the 7th of November 2013 some repairs were done in the Cua Dai Beach area!
03-11-13
With Typhoon Krosa on it's way to Central Vietnam Danang, Quang Ngai we can expect some more 'fire work' in the Cua Dai Beach Area.
The last view weeks emergency repairs are done but its far from finished! Another storm could add additional damage on whats left from some swimming pools, 'villa's' and beaches.
Below a photo from Krosa, a 36 hours lead and a edited photo from Cua Dai's most southern tip which could be disappeared
in 10 years if we go on building resorts, vertical concrete walls and cutting trees which causes enormous erosion.
Next week an article which describes a 'solution' for this area under siege!
20-10-13
The Cua Dai Bridge Project is getting shape. The pylons of the bridge are 'growing' every week and as far as I can guess in about half a year they will start putting the horizontal beams in place.
Also they start preparing the first part part of the road which will go through the water Coconut Forrest, Cam Thanh and Cam Chau! Again 1 step closer to another addition of destruction of the beauty of Hoi An's agricultural and fishing area's!
Mass tourism has started and within 5 years we only go by speeds boats to Cham Island, will 'banana boats' take you along the devastated coastline of Cua Dai and is Hoi An only about entertainment and consuming! UNESCO is sleeping and the UN who has the goal together with Hoi An to make Hoi An as the greenest eco town in Vietnam still believe in fairy tales!
19-10-13
As predicted the 'next' storm - NARI in this case - would course massive damage to the coastal area in Hoi An. At least 4 resorts are hit very badly and from one you can say it's better to knock it down.
Also the newly build concrete shore protection did not give the protection you should expect. Waves went over the road and washed big blocks of granite and basalt away.
It's very clearly that all repairs are temporary and with the next storm to come it will getting more worse than the storm before.
The only way to protect the southern part of Cua Dai is to make wave breakers in the sea to take away some of the destructive power of the waves.
Also the An Bang beach area get in the danger zone. With less trees and roots to keep the soil together, the sand dunes with the rubbish berried in it will start slowly to erode away!
Another concern is the releasing of water from the Son Tranh 2 Dam at times when Hoi An is already flooded.
We can conclude that only stupidity and greed rules
16-10-13
NARI came to life around 4 pm the 14th and it took 24 hours to slow down. It's 1 peak was around 4 am the 15th of October. At 5 am we were in the eye of the storm and after 1 hour it started again. Most of the damage was done in the second part of the typhoon. A lot of trees collapsed and are facing west, means the wind came from the east.
3 Resorts got severe damage. An Bang's sand dunes got partly 'eaten away' by big waves. Below some photo's from the damage in Hoi An, Cua Dai- and An bang beach.
All respect for the people who were involved of making the roads free again from branches and trees. The people from the EVN, who repaired the electricity wires and poles so quickly!
We wish all the best with the recovering from this bad storm!
14-10-13
Another storm & typhoon - NARI - is coming towards Vietnam. In this case it goes straight to Danang which is 35 km from Hoi An.
At the moment - 8 am - the wind is still mild but it will increase in strength over the next 10 hours.
04-10-13
A lot of people were collecting drift wood from the beach. During rainy season flood waters are taking Water Hyacinth, trunks and debris from the river shores. It all ends up 2 or 3 km outside the river mouth in the East Sea. The current takes it later to the beaches.
02-10-13
Today we had a small flood in Hoi An. The soil was soaked with water and the government announced that they would open the Song Tranh 2 dam to release some water.
28-09-13
Tropical storm WUTIP is on it's way and could bring some flooding in Hoi An. According the forecast it will make landfall between Dong Hoi and Dong Ha. That's north of Danang but sure we will have some rain. With the soil soaked with water, water levels could get higher than 10 days ago with the Tropical depression 18.
Tropical storm Wutip is forecast to strike Vietnam as a typhoon at about 06:00 GMT on 30 September. Data supplied by the US Navy and Air Force Joint Typhoon Warning Center suggest that the point of landfall will be near 16.9 N, 108.5 E. Wutip is expected to bring 1-minute maximum sustained winds to the region of around 157 km/h (97 mph). Wind gusts in the area may be considerably higher.
According to the Saffir-Simpson damage scale the potential property damage and flooding from a storm of Wutip's strength (category 2) at landfall includes: Storm surge generally 1.8-2.4 metres (6-8 feet) above normal. Some roofing material, door, and window damage of buildings. Considerable damage to shrubbery and trees with some trees blown down. Considerable damage to mobile homes, poorly constructed signs, and piers. Coastal and low-lying escape routes flood 2-4 hours before arrival of the storm center. Small craft in unprotected anchorages break moorings. There is also the potential for flooding further inland due to heavy rain.
20-09-13
Even we had a minor storm (tropical Depression 18 or according others 8) some roads in
Hoi An old quarter were flooded and the bridge from the old quarter to An Hoi was closed for a while.
Fortunate the damage was minor but you can ask your self why with a little rain the river gets on such a high level so quickly.
Go to: Flood Central Vietnam
Of course there is the deforestation
in the mountains from Quang Nam Province what makes that water is not sucked up by trees anymore and no roots to hold the soil together
means landslides all over the place. This in combination with rapidly development projects along the river shores and even in the river, the silting of the river and the enormous amount of pavement which let not through any water to be absorbed by the soil. As far as I know there was no water released from the Son Tranh 2 Dam and if it was, it was minor!
In combination with high tide and sometimes wind from the East, the water level in the river will rise even more quickly. Also the construction of the Cua Dai Bridge - pillars and artificial sand island for construction work - will create extra drag!
With Typhoon Usagi on it's way and the rainy season official not even started in Central Vietnam we can expect some more floods to come. Usagi will make landfall in the north around the 24th of September (Hong Kong, Hanoi). At the moment it's a category 4 typhoon!
02-09-13
Yesterday around 6 pm an unusal event took place just for the coast of Son Tra, Danang.
There was clearly a waterspout to see! I never have seen this before in this area but sure there have been waterspouts in the past in Central Vietnam!
23-08-13
Today I have been talking and driving around Hoi An to show 'Hot Spots' which causes flooding in this area with Alyssa Grinberg from Habitat United Nations.
The reasons we have big flooding in Hoi An are mainly man made! Deforestation in the mountains which brings more water in the delta with the same amount of rain as in the past. Trees can absorb huge amounts of water when still there!
There is everywhere pavement which does not allow rainwater to penetrate. We start canalising rivers why water can not spread out anymore.
We are building to much 'in' the rivers. New bridge poles courses more drag! The rivers are getting more shallow which course difficulties to drain them. An of course the Son Tranh 2 Dam which courses massive problems because the management don't know how to cope with it.
The next report on flooding which is a repeat from all the previous rapports! The big question is; when do we really start to act?
14-08-13
There is an endless stream of publications and articles about climate change and flooding. Next Monday I have a meeting with a UN Habitat member about this issue. After years of research, publications of reports and news articles it feels that most governments are apathetic and undertake hardly any steps. Like little children many are still squabbling about who is to blame and who has to pay!
Below an article which tells it all again!
http://english.vietnamnet.vn/fms/environment/81615/scientists-warn-about-extreme-weather-due-to-climate-change.html
The answer is very easy. Stop building in rivers. Restore forests & dunes as soon as possible. Make roads with a permeable surface. Stop building along rivers. Build wave breakers in the sea and start to build infrastructure and housing more land inward so you can move people on time before coastal area's get permanent flooded! Because whatever the reason is it is an unstoppable force. We just need to adapt!
09-08-13
Back from a beautiful trip in the Netherlands! It's in sharp contrast what happens in the Netherlands if you talk about the environment. I hope the Vietnamese government gets serious soon about this otherwise there is nothing to save anymore.
Take this article in the Asia Life Magazine! I and others in Hoi An like: Jack Tran, Amy Morison, Nandine Ziegeldorf and Lee got interviewed by Kathie Jacobs. Click on: http://www.asialifemagazine.com/vietnam/eco-tourism-hoi-an/
I think the message is clear!
In about 1 week I have another interview with Alyssa Grinberg from from Habitat UN about the flooding and adaption to this in Hoi An. I will let you know about the outcome!
24-07-13
Already 3 weeks in the Netherlands. We are so lucky with the weather it's almost tropical. The first thing I observed after 3 years away is how green the Netherlands is. Another feature is the wind parks and solar panels on many buildings: private, business and government. I just visited a new built private house with an state of the art solar, heating and cooling installation.
The technique is there, the will of many is there but governments and big cooperation's are still not ready/willing to use these techniques on a large scale. Of course big money (oil) and politics is often behind this!
Many people are still not in favour of wind parks because of the noise, danger and costs. To this group I like to say we are in a transition period. You can not expect to have the perfect answers in such a short time. Combustion engines are developed over more than a century. With the common wind parks engineers can continue to develop new techniques which will result in better and small windmills.
19-06-13
This morning at around 8 am there was a group children under guidance of some adults cleaning the sides of the road at Hai Ba Trung Street at Tra Que! Plastic and other rubbish was collected and hopefully processed in the right way! Anyway a good step forwards! Great!
13-06-13
I just ordered a solar installation for our house in Tra Que, Green Apple Land.
There are 2 interesting companies who can deliver complete solar installations. for your house or company building (restaurant, hotel & resort, factory).
The companies are:
Ronald Nijland
Sol Invictus Ltd.
Add: 49 Phan Dang Luu street
Hai Chau District, Danang, Vietnam
Tel: +84-5113638088
Fax: +84-5113638099
E-mail: rn@s-i.vn
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11-06-13
Again an article about the erosion of Cua Dai Beach! While knowing partly what it coursed nothing is done to bring back the situation in the original state. That would mean at least to brake down the former Novotel carcass, Fusion Alya and the Sunrise resort. So The state pays 5.5 million US $ which actually has to be paid by the resort owner & investment groups!
Read: http://english.vietnamnet.vn/fms/environment/76439/resorts-suffer-as-beach-disappears.html.
06-06-13
Already a few days I see a man cutting trees in the dunes on An Bang Beach! Ready to build more illegal structures which will at the end course more erosion etc!
What really pisses me of is that today I read in the Vietnamese news papers:
Vietnam is assessed as one of the nations gravely affected by climate change
VN faces great environmental problems!
Climate change could drown central Vietnam’s famous Hoi An Town
So what information do we need more- and this is almost on daily basis - to start doing something. I mainly see meetings with a lot of drinking & eating people eating from plastic plates, drinking out of plastic bottles, hugging and tapping each other on the shoulders. Police who are watching Tom & Jerry and locals cutting more trees, making more concrete pavement in front of their houses and along rivers! Sorry but this country is totally lost!
23-05-13
I got an interesting 'photo' from Cua Dai Beach how it was in 2004 and how it is 'now' in 2013 (Google Earth). You can clearly see till where the beach was and where it is now! A little worrying.
What you see the is the part between; left Cua Dai Street and right the Southern Tip from where the boats leave to Cham Islands.
The blue line marks where the beach was in 2004. The red line marks the current beach width!
Thanks Ton for the info!
21-05-13
There has been a meeting to solve the problem off the erosion off Cua Dai Beach behind some resorts. On initiative from Rudy van Bork, the Dutch Royalhaskoning - Architects, Engineers, Consultants - was invited to give their opinion about a solution.
Below some photo's from projects which are not finished for a long time and are also create erosion problems in this area!
21-05-13
Sad news from Cua Dai Beach in Hoi An. About a week ago 1 man got killed in a freak jet ski accident. Many knew it was a matter of time this would be happening. People with no experience and sometimes
intoxicated going high speed! Also the people renting out jet ski's without any experience and no drivers to 'guide' people using them for the first time.
Many are happy there is no noise and pollution anymore from the jet ski's! We hope it stays that way. Jet ski's don't belong at a place where people are swimming!
20-05-13
It seems to be extremely hot the last few days! Looking back in my 'weather history', click on:
Hoi An weather history we had in the recent past also hot days in May. The difference now is that the sun feels more 'intense'. I hear more people complaining about skin problems like 'Prickling Heat! Click on:
Heat Wave Hanoi
Heat wave Ha Nam
Heat wave North-, Central Vietnam
14-05-13
It's not a real Hoi An thing yet but it could in the near future. GM food is getting closer and even the Vietnamese government has contacted Monsanto for their rice yield problems! We should never allow any cooperation genetically modify our food not knowing what the outcome is even in the short term!
13-05-13
While a half year ago the beach protective wall along Cua Dai Beach in Hoi An for the biggest part was finished many thought it would protect this area for a long time. Yesterday we discovered that the concrete slaps are eroding already:
Along one off the resorts where they have made a artificial 'beach' because the beach was washed away behind the resort the whole area behind it start's to erode.
In rainy and storm season this resort hopes to keep the water outside by making this 2 m3 sand bags on the 'beach front'!? We wish them good luck!
Trees planted along this whole area are for 50 % dead! Despite all the efforts made it doesn't feel it will all last for long!
09-05-13
Some people ask; why you're so upset all the time with the environment in Vietnam? I live here - temporary maybe - but for the time being it's Hoi An! If I would stay in Chili or Russia I would do the same! Maybe I'm a guest in Vietnam, which not always feels that way! "It's not you're country!" Sure, but it's my planet too! It's ours and we have only one as far as I know. Maybe somewhere, somebody has a spare one, still it's makes no sense to waste her!
Vietnamese are so proud, so proud about their children! For that reason it is so strange they make a mess off their environment and for this taking away the future of their children.
I mentioned it already. Look at this photo, made in Tra Que Hoi An today the 9th off May 2013! Tra Que, tourist attraction in Hoi An.
Already 2 home stays, 11 cafe's, restaurants, cooking class facilities and yes a real rubbish dumb apposite one off the home stays! A real attraction.
And also on the East side along the river plastic and waste all over the place! Great!
It's the same like all the the environmental issues mentioned in the news papers. There is a lot off talk but ehhh not a lot is done!
06-05-13
We had some beautiful hot days the last week often ending with some small showers at the end off the day. Strong waves at the moment at An Bang Beach so be careful.
There is a new small building project going on in the dunes and on the plot off land next to it they just cut about 20 pine trees. More chance for erosion and so weakening the dunes!
At Tra Que where I live they start dumping rubbish in great amounts (especially plastic) opposite the home stay (grey building). Great for the environment because it's next to the river and great for all the bicycle groups passing this, Another dumping ground is on the east part off Tra Que also next to the river! Great advertisement for tourists!
29-04-13
Time flies and the last week there where again some surprising developments. First the earlier mentioned waste bins from the government which you can find now everywhere in Hoi An.
A great improvement.
Second every other week there are dead pigs on the beach between An bang and Hami Beach. I don't know if they are dumped in the
Thu Bon river and brought there by the current or they are directly dumped by somebody! Certainly it doesn't belong there.
Third this week a big sign of future developments in Hoi An was erected along Hai Ba Trung Street close to An Bang Beach. Good thing is that the fishing village opposite Tra Que and part off the fishing village of An Bang seems to be saved from destruction! Bad is that there will be so much build like a shopping center, museum, high rise buildings, resorts etc that it could be a desolated area for a long time if there is uncontrolled destruction from houses and greenery on a large scale followed
by years off none activity caused by a lack off investors 'read money'!
We have already 8 projects on a halt between Hoi An and Danang so lets hope that some people learned from this!
19-04-13
The beach at An Bang is clean! It looks better than ever before! The rubbish is still buried on the beach but let's say it's a big step forwards and part off the evolution learning process!
In Hoi An there are waste bins now for separate organic and other waste. Also a good step forwards!
11-04-13
The last week the same people who clean and bury the waste on the beach. With the first storm in October the water will wash the sand away and all the rubbish will again disappear in the sea. It's difficult to understand because the government comes 2 or 3 times a week to collect waste.
The main road is about 150 meters from the beach! Green Apple Hoi An used old cement bags to collect the rubbish. I see many people use old fertilizer or rice bags to collect waste. The people on the waste car will empty them and people can use them again!
Still a pity is the amount off organic material which is offered as waste! Even ladies on the beach are collecting shells and bury them on the beach! What's going on?!!
The world never stops me surprising me!
I don't blame this people but the people who ask these people to do what they do without any proper instructions and guiding! Come on guys!!
05-04-13
Every morning I go for a walk or swimming on one off the most famous beaches in the world. This according some travel magazines. Or this people are blind or have never been outside the 5 star resort were they stay! The last few days I see people digging big holes and dumping rubbish in it! The beach is littered with plastic! I walk in between the rubbish and if I look at the 'dune' site all the trees are cut and 2 unfinished concrete skeletons are facing the beach!
The government tries to inform people and also on schools and TV there is information given to create more awareness about the pollution and waste problem in Vietnam. Unfortunate there is no force to check and control! The Vietnamse they say yes and smile but nothing is really done!
31-03-13
Below 'article' generated a lot off reactions. Most positive and from people with the same frustration!
Under an article from this month from journalist Herby Neubacher! It's amazing how far destruction goes and our 'leaders' have mainly 'eye' for MONEY & GREED!
Well it's not about Hoi An and surrounding area but of course there is no doubt watching the environment in and around Hoi An ist could be about our town and beaches!
Tourism Hara Kiri in Vietnam!
23-03-13
23-02-13 Great Clean Sweep this morning at Cua Dai Beach! The weather
was beautiful! Rain was forecasted but except off the wind it was
great! We cleaned the beach between Cua Dai Anh Duc's Restaurant and
Palm Garden Resort. After we continued all the way to Agri Bank Resort.
Thanks to the staff off Palm Garden Resort; Mr. Nguyen Bong and Ms. Tran
Thi My Dung., Mr. David Tran (Deputy General Manager) and Ms. Phuong
Thao for the communication.
David (2*), Phil, Ken, Mrs. Vy, Mrs. Linh, Ms Koda and Ms. Phuong, Nick and his son Andy.
Later will put more photo's from the Clean Sweep on our Flickr page! Thanks Linh for the photo's!
17-02-13 For all in Vietnam a happy and green 2013! Everywhere beautiful flowers are still on display and even the weather was extremely good during TET, the Vietnamese New Year! To make the start off the year off the snake even better Green Apple Hoi An organizes a Clean Sweep at Saturday the 23 off February at Cua Dai Beach. We start at 8 am from An Duc's Restaurant. It's close to the Zero Seamile bar. Welcome!
31-01-13
Beautiful weather the last days invites to make long walks at An Bang Beach! I really would like resort owners, local government and locals and expats to invite and talks about the enormous amount off Styrofoam on the beach! The beach still got promoted as one off the most beautiful beaches in the world but I doubt that being in more than 50 countries myself. I have to say behind the resorts and at An Bang the beach always gets cleaned but many seem to forget that tourists like to walk and get a total different impression getting out off this 'comfort zone'! In Danang they have a beach clean machine! Hey resorts in Hoi An maybe an idea to make an investment together with the local government! A beautiful present for TET and ehhh start using less or no Styrofoam at all anymore!
13-01-13
Yesterday we had a successful 'Clean Sweep' again on An Bang Beach. About 12 people showed up and we started again from the Banyan Restaurant & Bar! We collected about 29 cement bags with rubbish! Styrofoam was again the winner followed by shoes, straws, soup & milk and fast food packages. Ken is 'responsible' for the shoe collection! We will collect the shoes over a period off 6 month and make an artwork off it at An Bang Beach! Some off the participants made some photo's and as soon as I have them I will put them on the Green Apple Hoi An website. Thanks again all off you! Great job!
The next 'Clean Sweep' is at Cua Dai Beach on the 23 off February starting at 8 am from
Anh Duc's Restaurant!
30-12-12
Green Apple Hoi An wishes you all a beautiful 2013. Thanks to all the people who joined the Clean Sweeps and helped them to organize!
Hans van der Broek
19-12-12 Walking on An Bang Beach I was first astonished about the enormous amount of waste! Than suddenly I discovered 21 concrete poles on the beach! There are rumours about a boulevard or promenade on the north side off An Bang! Pitty, the last piece off public beach goes under construction!
14-12-12 I have been talking to a employer off the Vinci Construction Company who will build a waste water treatment system in Hoi An. This is a big company who is building big projects around the world. Vinci Construction The Vinci Company is already years busy to finish the Hoi An waste water project but till now there is no end in sight!
The waste water plant was first planned to be build in Cam Chau. For unclear reasons it will now built in Cam Thanh! A lot off paper work extra, a few kilometers more pipes! In meantime all waste water end up in the Thu Bon River, is not clear anymore where connections & pipes are and...? Hoi An, do you want your waste water plant or....?
12-12-12 The Bazaar was successful for Green Apple Hoi An! People were interested in especially solar energy and the environment! Also Mr. Bich's solar cookers - 'Solar Serve' - attracted attention!
Naderev Saño, head of the Philippines climate delegation at the Doha UNFCC climate talks described
to Democracy Now, "The path of Typhoon Bopha is slightly more to the
south of what struck Mindanao last year, but it is affecting the same
areas. And
The storm's high winds and torrential rain caused flash flooding in several provinces in the island of Mindanao in the southern Philippines. Compostela Valley and Davao Oriental in eastern Mindanao were particularly hard hit. The town of New Bataan in Compostela Valley has been obliterated by raging flood waters. Communications to many areas were cut as roads and bridges were destroyed. The death toll approaches 500 with some 170,000 displaced people.
More than 1,100 volunteers collected trash, bottles and plastic bags
along 1.2km of coastline at the beach of Long Hai, Long Dien District in
southern Ba Ria-Vung tau Province last weekend. The clean-up campaign
organised by HCM City's American Chamber of Commerce in Viet Nam and
Intel Products was part of a world-wide conservation campaign. — VNS
Photo Quoc Ngu.
The program aims to raise individual responsibility for environmental protection and encourage people to take part in community activities. It is expected to attract the participation of local authorities, representatives from the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment and other relevant agencies, and foreign diplomats, as well as more than 1,500 public employees and residents of Danang.
On this occasion, a seminar on renewable energy, a painting exhibition on environmental pollution, a tree planting ceremony, a waste recycling competition and many other events will be held.
Initiated in 1993 by Australia, the "Making the world cleaner in 2012" Campaign has been launched globally by the United Nations in the third week of September, involving hundreds of millions people from more than 130 countries and territories around the world.
On daily bases bicycle tours pass this spot and it doesn't make a good impression. I'm shore nobody want this and soon the rubbish will be gone!
06-08-12 Since we cleaned the 'Forgotten Beach' we see every day a woman at around 6 am cleaning the shoreline! That's a really good thing! She pick's up all the dirt left behind by the people who dined the evening before on this nice stretch off beach!
We try to organize a last 'Clean Sweep' in September before rainy season!
This month also new our Green Apple Activities website. Click on: Green Apple Activities
22-07-12 I had dinner with my wife Linh in U Cafe along the Hoi An River. Japanese food and hospitality, We talked mainly about the environment and a few off the table guests where involved and worked with the Division of Natural Resources and Environment in Hoi An. They just organised a Clean Sweep close to the bus station in Hoi An.
I find out that there are 2 major new development projects scheduled in Cam Ha and An Bang Beach. Hoi An Indochina 5-star Resort will be built in Dien Ngoc Ward, Dien Ban District, Quang Nam province (close to An Bang beach). The project development will includes: • villas area • bungalow area • golf course : 18-hole • and the The Development of Cam Ha Tourism Area project includes: • resort area • restaurants, bar, coffee shop • entertainment area • elevators • traffic system • park area • related utilities Project estimated
Along Hai Ba Trung street close to the bridge over the Co Co River is a big bill board with the road plans and the Co Co River plan to see for anybody who is interesting. It's clearly to see how the Cua Dai Bridge, build over the Thu Bon River will be connected with the 'new' 8 lane road coming from Danang. The road will go through & along the Water Coconut Forrest, cross Cua Dai Road go along the shrimp farms & rice fields, pass Cam Chau, rice fields again and than cross Hai Ba Trung. many tourists like to go around on a bicycle and discover the countryside around Hoi An. In the future you will meet the 'new road' at least 4 times and will be guaranteed off noise and pollution!
A week ago I had a meeting with UNIDO and other people about Hoi An Eco town. Is there anybody who can explain to me what Eco means in this context?
The 11-07-12 I discovered that blogger is on line again in Vietnam. Thanks for this!
Yesterday I attended a meeting from the Hoi An City's People Committee and Unido. It was about green industry. Information about cases abroad like China, Philippines and Europe. Later it got more defined to Vietnam and of course Hoi An. Just very briefly, there is a long way to go! There are plans but in my opinion to many spread out over 20 years. We need action now and not only about greening our tourism and agricultural activities. We need to address the bigger issues like how to prevent more flooding, erosion along the coast, finishing the waste water treatment plant a.s.a.p. and slow down the flow off traffic in and around Hoi An!
02-07-12 The following blog story can not be read in Vietnam or at least not by the people off Vietnam. De Vietnamese Government has blocked all blogger sites and word press! We all seem to be criminals even if you want too clean the environment for free or like too help disabled children for free like many do, or like too teach children like many do for free! And many more! Instead off starting a dialogue with the people from Vietnam the government closes the communication door! We have seen recently what the result is in other countries! Open up there in the north! Where are you afraid off?
29-06-12 Living in Hoi An for 8 years I met many expats with trouble with noise pollution! Music at 5 am, loudspeakers blaring, techno 'music', dogs, karaoke, horns name it! I've been in 52 countries and I must say Vietnam is on top of off the list off noise! Read for example: noise pollution at your service
Thre is a lot off info to find on Google about noise pollution! If you have any example please send it to us. We will put it on Youtube!
29-06-12 The mails send with the new 'Clean Sweep' Clip attracted some attention. People around Tra Que, Hai Bai Trung and Cam Chau sent an E-mail. At the moment I'm talking with them about a new 'Clean Sweep' and other involvement in the Green Apple Hoi An.
The Clean Sweep in Cam Thanh will be in March 2013. It will be close to the new Home Stay build in that area!
Yesterday, while swimming at Cua Dai at around 6:30 am, we saw a woman cleaning The Forgotten Beach! Amazing, something is happening!
Thanks for watching the new Clean Sweep Clip!
12-06-12 It took a few days to make a Clip about the Clean Up on the 5th of June 2012. Click on clip below!
I've been there the last few days again and it is a shame how much rubbish people leave behind while having a good time with their families on the beach in the evening. Turning your environment in waste land is not a good idea at any place on this planet! Governments, schools try to inform people but with hardly any organisation to check and control and with a lack off interest off many people it's a long way to go!
07-06-12 The amount off people for our second 'Clean Sweep' where not that large but the amount off rubbish collected was enormous! We got support from people of the Hoi An Beach Resort. Thanks for this! A Clip of the 'Clean Sweep' is almost finished!
The next 'Clean Sweep' will be in Cam Thanh.
Thanks to all the people who joined the 'Clean Sweep' on the 5th off June 2012.
28-05-12. On the 5th of June, Green Apple Hoi An will organise a 'Clean Sweep' this time on Cua Dai Beach, The Forgotten Beach.
It's south off Palm Garden Resort and we start from the Anh Duc Restaurant.
The Clean Sweep will be from 6:30 till 8:30.
Early? Yes you are right but it's pretty hot at the moment. The good thing, you can cool down in the sea during the Clean Sweep. Drinks and baguettes are supplied by Green Apple Hoi An!
24-05-12 The builders started indeed on the 16th of May with building Green Apple Land. See photo!
02-05-12 Very busy in April! Linh my wife and I started with the negotiations with builders and designers to build 'Green Apple Land'. Around the 15th of may we will start building the first part! Next year solar panels and a special build Solar Heater will be installed which is much smaller than the ones you see today on roof tops!
During 2013 we will connect more equipment with our solar panels and some standard equipment will be rebuild to 'work' on solar power! We keep you informed!
Somewhere this month we will organise another Clean Sweep on An Bang Beach! Hans
On the 31 of March we had a Clean Sweep on An Bang Beach. After a quite start ore people showed up and with in 1 and half hour we collected 30 bags of rubbish! The Clean Sweep was a success buts it's also disappointing that it is possible to collect so much is such a short time.
Many thanks to people from the Banyan Bar & Restaurant on An Bang Beach who supplied drinks and food after the Clean Sweep!
27-03-12 Been away for a while. The last week I have organised and had talks with people from the Banyan on An Bang Beach for the Clean Sweep on the 31 of March. By coincident the Banyan organises a day to pay attention about issues around An Bang. Nice to combine things and it looks there will be a lot off people to join this day.
To be clear Green Apple Hoi An has no part in the activities after 10 am on the 31 of March and is only on An Bang Beach for the Clean Sweep.
I want to thank special Mrs. Nguyet Thanh Vu for her help and the printing of the flyer's.
For now I hope for good weather and a fantastic day for all!
Hans van der Broek
15-03-12 I started making photo's from the last big trees which are decorating Hoi An. Most of them you will find in Hoang Dieu Street. Another 10 are shattered around town.
Next week I will put them on YOUTUBE!
13-03-12 Already 7 expats will join the 'Clean Sweep' on the 31 of March on An Bang Beach. One of them came with a new spot close to Hoi An where we will organise the second 'Clean Sweep'.
Randy (Randy's Book Xchange) sent me this link:bottle brighten millions-poor homes. It's a great idea and so simple!
I put a new clip on YOUTUBE: Another Brick in the Wall.
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05-03-12 At last the flyer for local businesses in Hoi An is ready. Also the date is set for the 'Clean Sweep' on An Bang Beach. The 31 of march from 8 till 10 am locals, expats and tourist will join in a Clean Sweep at the north part of the beach of An Bang.
From tomorrow local bicycle rentals will be visited and mentioned on the 'Green Activities' page!
For people or businesses who want to join the Clean Sweep please mail to: Click here!
28-02-12 I red a blog from Anthony Stokes, the ambassador for the UK Reply Green Apple
In case it's not aloud by the moderator:
Your comment is awaiting moderation.
25-02-12 An interesting article on Vietnamnet! It's about the coastal damage done along the south tip of Cua Dai Beach. Read:
Central coast-in-ruin! It supports the Green Apple Hoi An Clip: Is this what we want?
23-02-12 Today I got the new lay out from the Green Apple website. It's now more consistent with the flyer and name cards.
There a few new interesting links on the website! People who are interested in the weather(who isn't?)weather, surf at the beach and solar cooking will find the right attractive and tasty information! A few days to go and the info is 'life'!
21-02-12 A busy time the last 3 weeks. Packing, removal from the Lighthouse to our temporary house in Cam Chau.
Fortunate a good new environmental product build by Nick Shirra. See the Non Profit page where you can see a dryer working with solar energy to dry agricultural products.
03-02-12 TET is gone and life in Hoi An is going back to 'normal'! The website will be upgraded and will be more in 'sink' with the flyer and name cards.The new clip: http://www.youtube.com/watch?NR=1&feature=endscreen&v=m8xNRNN84o4
got some attention. I got some mail from people who found it incredible sad that this kind of developments got approved by the local government and designed by often foreign developers!
Also renewed with the World Bank about a new project to set up a Climate Information Centre in Vietnam.
I hope to organise this month the first Clean Sweep of 2012! First the move to our temporary house! Thanks for all the mail! Have a nice day!
And than it was suddenly the 21 of January. TET is around the corner and things really slowed down. I send an article to the Hoi An Live Magazine. I hope they found it in their mail box. For now, a happy TET and a green & clean 2012!
Hans
05-01-12, This year started good with interest from The Hoi An Live Magazine and contacts with a group of architects, designers and construction consultancy about an idea for a future eco village near Hoi An.
28-12-11, Everybody welcome on the Green Apple Hoi An site. We have 177 followers now on Twitter and now we got almost everyday mail from people who like to have more information or want to help with GA-Hoi An activities next year! Thanks for this! Hans
24-12-11, Green Apple Hoi An wish you all the best and green wishes for 2012!
21-12-11. For all who read this. I'm looking for people where ever on this planet who are organising the same activities like Green Apple Hoi An,Vietnam. Please reply to E-mail address above. Thanks!
18-12-11. I put an interesting article on 'Green Feed' about the Tam Dao Golf Course in Vinh Phuc Province. It would be interesting to know what the impact is on the environment of the golf courses in Hoi An & Danang. Anybody?
17-12-11. Yesterday I picked up the Green Apple Hoi An flyers. They looked good! I distributed already some to a few local businesses. There is a little inconsistency between the flyer the website and the name cards which will be solved in the next month!
Thanks for all the positive responses!
14-12-11. I discovered some more people and businesses who are interested in and already active with Green Activities.
I added some more Businesses to the Green Activities list: Goldon Turtle Swim Club, Green Mango Restaurant, Legend DVD-Shop and Metiseko Eco Chic Shop.
It's great that more and more people in Hoi An are interested in our environment. Tell others, let me know!
Victoria Heckstall wrote an article for Green Apple Hoi An. You can read the article on the Green Feed Page. Thanks!
Have a nice day!
07-12-11, Christmas is coming soon, new year and TET are on the horizon! Green Apple is busy making a new clip about the 6 lane road from Danang to Tam Ky. Not a lot of information is available but as it looks it will go partly through the beautiful Water Coconut Forrest at Cam Thanh, the rice field area close to the Cua Dai Bridge, close to Tra Que and all the way to Cam Ha!
27-11-11. It's already a month later and many things have happened. New contacts are made and I have an interesting organisation discovered at An Bang Beach: Eco Com. Some of their goals:
-To develop the career development plan for the people.
-To develop the specific embellishment activities including:
Planting trees, environmental sanitation.
-Support to implement the activities of micro-credit fund (Mrs.
Van’s team)
-Listen, collect people's opinions and respond to investors
and make "the civil campaign" for investors.
Click on the 'Green Photo's' link on the home page of the Green Apple Hoi An site and you will find photos from the first project of Eco Com to install big waste bins on An Bang Beach!
Thursday, 27th of October 2011. Today I made some photo's from solar powered warning- and traffic lights in Hoi An. Also some photos from ladies who collect our rubbish and people who sort out the rubbish and bring it to recycle 'factories'!
You can see the photo's by clicking on: Green Apple Hoi An Photo's
Green Apple Hoi An got also it's membership from Clean Up the world. An Australian based organisation. Read more on:
Clean up the world!
Monday, 24-10-11
Small developments during the last few days. I have been in contact with AMERIN, an Australian based organisation who advices companies & government(s) for sustainable improvements. Click on the link for their last Newsletter:
current corporate, social, and environmental sustainability improvement projects
Also contacted 'Clean Up' Australia for a partnership!
I added some beautiful photos' on Green Apple's Flickr page and added interesting info on the Green Feed Page.
For now it's waiting for the Green Apple Flyer with info, 'Stickers' and a Refill Spot 'Tap Hanger'!
Saturday, 15-10-11
It's amazing how quickly the Green Apple Hoi An Clips are noticed by others!
Ipolitics
Travel Hotel Tourism
Home made solar energy
Mobitech 8 Word Press
Tourism
Hoi An Mega Travel Guide
Twitter Cara Roy
WN. Com
Mmusicz
Mitra Sites
Senin icin videolar
Virtually north west.com
How to build Solar
Green business
Green Apple Clips are viewed in: Vietnam, Philippines, Australia, Netherlands, Germany, Malaysia, Thailand and Spain!
Today, 08-10-11 I had an interesting meeting with Mrs. Pham Kieu Oanh from the CSIP. The CSIP invests in social entrepreneurs, raise awareness, mobile resources and train and advice on social entrepreneurship development.
I'm looking forward to the invitation from the CSIP to tell more about Green Apple Hoi An, it's goals and to bring social awareness about environmental issues in Hoi An.
The Green Apple Hoi An is a social green platform for and with locals, expats and tourists!
More information about CSIP: CSIP
Hans
Any questions please send an e-mail to: greenapplehoian@gmail.com
A warm thank you to: Nick Keegan and Steve Harrison!
Hans van der Broek
Back to Home Page
23-05-15
The Green One UN House (GOUNH)
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| New sustainable UN office building Hanoi. |
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| UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said the UN house in Vietnam is a building with effective use of energy, being friendly to the environment and an example for consistency and cooperation among UN agencies.
A little bit in contrast with the beautiful sustainable UN office but a great design. The users can build the house by themselves in 25 days. Besides, it can be mass produced with modules and the total cost of the house is only 2500$.
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Vietnam needs to introduce a climate budget.
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| Planting Mangrove. |
21-05-15
In the 2010 we had a major drought in Vietnam what made the government in the Mekong shut down the water inlets for the clean water system. The filters could not handle the enormous amount of salt in the water.
Hoi An is at the end of the Thu Bon River. If there is not enough water up-stream and in the reservoirs from the Hydro plants certainly there is not enough water in the delta area. In combination with more salt water intrusion, deforestation, mono cultures pesticides and waste from almost 2 million tourists it creates a toxic environment which is not directly visible but surely has it's effect on agriculture, water supplies and so on the local community and tourism.
Deforestation makes the fertile topsoil disappear and is part of the reason flash floods appear!
Deforestation, mono cropping and intensive pesticide use that helped create the boom now leaves coffee farms more vulnerable to climate change.
20-05-15
Plastic, a big draw for camera wielding tourists!
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| This Mui Ne! |
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| This Hoi An in rainy season! |
Water pollution is a major problem in Vietnam. Even in Hoi An where there is no 'heavy industry' is a massive water pollution caused by raw sewage from around 2 million tourists and locals, agriculture (pesticides, fertilisers) and residues from agent orange and other agents which has spread out over the years via rivers, creeks and aquifers.
200.000 People diagnosed with cancer a year by using polluted water.
17-05-15
Now the Cua Dai Bridge project coming to a point it can be used soon by 'some kind of traffic' and the construction of the South Hoi An Casino & Resort project taking of soon, some pieces of the puzzle fall in place.
While still working on the connecting roads it will be possible soon to bring building material from Danang to the South Hoi An Project.
The connection with Tam Ky is still a long time to go so expect soon more heavy trucks on the road along Ha My-, An Bang-, Hidden- and Cua Dai Beach!
By 2020, provincial experts say, flooding in these low-lying coastal areas will submerge over 306sq.km. Hoi An will be hit hardest, with flooding predicted in more than 26 per cent of the city, followed by Dien Ban District with 26 per cent, Duy Xuyen District with 16 per cent and Nui Thanh District with 15 per cent.
Rising sea levels threaten Central Vietnam's coastline!
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| Only 2 km from where they gonna build! Storm & Flood damage! |
Real good news is the end of the Gam-Ecoi Project in the middle of the river between Cam Nam Island and Hoi An, opposite the Anantara Resort. It started in 2008 and was doomed from the beginning. Who wants to build in a river with strong currents and flooding almost every year. A total waste of resources and money. Hopefully it will be planted now with native plants to form a green buffer in the overdeveloped Hoi An area!
Gami project comes to an halt!
10-05-15
Vietnamese government takes climate change seriously!
Indeed we always hope governments will put above in practise but often reality is different! Hollow phrases like:
- National Assembly and Government have developed and issued many policies and laws, gradually creating a legal framework and policy environment and Vietnam has achieved progress in international cooperation and
- integration for its climate change response, earning recognition from its partners and drawing more assistance does not take away the feeling that in practise little is done.
Material used to build coastal protection is often from bad quality, solutions amaturistic and money is disappearing in pockets of people where it does not belong!
Climate change and ignorance is already effecting Vietnam's coastline in a dramatic way. With El-Nino soon again in full swing we can expect massive damage the next storm season!
07-05-15
Unfortunate this article could fit many places in the world and sure sends a message to all involved, inhabitants, tourists expats and governments. The message that tourist places are often littered gets main stream. People can decide to go everywhere for their holidays. Also in Hoi An, the beaches next to the resorts are often full with waste! Managers of these resorts forget that tourists 'walk', see the waste and take the experience back home!
Phan Thiet will become a dump unless we do this
30-04-15
Good action from the U-cafe in Hoi An. Volenteers will check the water quality in Hoi An for one year. Green Apple Hoi An is looking forward to see the results.
U-Cafe Hoi An, an eco social project.
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| For this project, we inspected some wells in the city yesterday. |
While the flow of not so positive news about the environment and tourism in Vietnam continuous a lot of people including expats tumble over each other with comments that people writing this are not informed, miss the point or are just annoying.
Comparing apples and pear makes no sense at all and yes sure at many other places in the world we have similar problems! The question is do we like to have the same destruction in
Hoi An to let it go under by ignorance and miss management or do we want to manage the town in such a way that it has a possibility to survive.
Hoi An has avoided for a long time high rise buildings close to the old quarter but now happily announces the opening of the new Royal Hoi An hotel.
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| Accor, the largest operator of international hotels in Asia-Pacific and Vietnam, has announced the opening of Hotel Royal Hoi An, the latest addition to the MGallery Collection in Vietnam. Standing majestically on the banks of the picturesque Thu Bon River, the upscale property has taken pride of place in the Unesco World Heritage town of Hoi An in Central Vietnam. |
Hydropower plants, resorts cause severe erosion in Hoi An: experts
An Bang is now overwhelmed by a construction boom even accelerating it's destruction. Quick money and sticking the heads in the hardly left sand dunes seams to be the way to go.
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| It looks beautiful but An Bang just can not handle the amount of tourists because there is no infrastructure for a balanced water supply, waste water treatment and solid waste! |
In some area's in Vietnam people take measures in own hand because from the local governments they can't expect a lot.
And while most of the wild life is disappearing in Vietnam we keep on miss using these animals for tourist and other reasons.
Vietnam’s last elephants dying due to poaching, deforestation
13-04-15
April 2015 had a row of less positive publicity in Vietnamse local newspapers. As so often it was about issues which are 'difficult' to address by the government. Environmental problems of all sorts, behavior issues, corruption ertc and many related with tourism.
Below some of the articles:
Plastic bag pollution continues unabated in Vietnam
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| In the past this issue is addresses in Hoi An with representitives from the local government and UNIDO. Till now there is no improvement! |
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| Parts of Hoi An like An Hoi often have no water in summer time. Is due to the same problems as in Saigon? |
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| In the Central Highlands but in many provinces like Quang Nam! |
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| Illigal logging in Quang Nam Province. |
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| Often with knowledge from government officilas and bribery! |
The Declining State of Tourism in Vietnam!
One of the many articles published about the decline of tourism in Vietnam. While one of the reasons of the massive decline comes from the Russians (Ruble related) and Chinese (protests April 2014) who stay away it is clear that behavior (image) and environmental problems
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| Tourists arguing about the price with a cyclo driver. |
12-04-15
Some good news. It is not directly connected with Hoi An but hopefully it will in the future!
Russian co Arman working on 100-MW solar project in Vietnam
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| Arman Holding is planning to build a 100-MW solar park |
Panasonic Donates 630 Solar Lanterns to Vietnam
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| A scene of a donation ceremony at Dien Bien Province. |
09-04-15
Study finds large dioxin emissions from Vietnam's waste treatment plants.
While this article not directly points to Hoi An or Danang we can expect the waste treatment plants in this area facing similar problems as mentioned in the article below!.
Not only for tourism bad news but especially for local people who are exposed to these hazards every day!
Many incinerators that burn industrial and medical waste in Vietnam are discharging dangerous amounts of dioxin, some at 5,000 times the safe limit, according to a new research.
Le Ke Son, the lead researcher and a former official at the environment ministry, said the report is the first time “Vietnam admits that there’s dioxin discharged from industrial activities besides from dioxin left from the war.”
The research was conducted by Steering Committee 33, a national committee set up to mitigate the effects of toxic chemicals used by the US during the Vietnam War, and the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment.
Dioxin, one of the most toxic and persistent compounds which can leave impacts including cancer through generations, can be inhaled or digested.
Environmental group Greenpeace has said it is the most toxic manmade chemical ever identified. Researchers said dioxin in sewage sludge can easily be absorbed into food through soil and water.
Incinerators are responsible for most of the dioxin discharged in Vietnam, the research has revealed, based on the amount of dioxin and dioxin-related compounds (DRCs) measured in their emissions and sewage sludge.
Vietnam has not developed technologies to recycle and treat waste properly and mostly burns all of its garbage together.
The research team took 18 emission samples from medical, urban and industrial incinerators and all of them contained dioxin or DRCs, with seven exceeding the safe limit.
Health risks
Vietnam’s environment ministry allows waste treatment plants to emit dioxin at the toxicity equivalence (TEQ) of 600 picograms per normal cubic meter, or below. Three samples from incinerators in Hanoi exceeded this limit by up to 16 times.
Notably one incinerator in the nearby Hai Duong Province was found exceeding the limit by 81 times.
Ho Chi Minh City has the worst dioxin pollution caused by the disposal of sewage sludge from incinerators.
Vietnam does not set a dioxin limit for sewage sludge. But based on the Japanese standard of 10 picograms per normal cubic meter, three samples taken from three treatment factories were too polluted, with one exceeding the limit by 5,000 times.
Two other samples in Hanoi were five and 23 times beyond the limit while four samples in Hai Duong were between three and 129 times above the permitted level.
The researchers expressed concern of the high chance of dioxin pollution in the area around the incinerators.
31-03-15
Tripadvisor about Cua Dai Beach!
Some recent reviews about Cua Dai Beach. Not all is doom and gloom but sure it will effect tourism!
Could not believe what had happened to the beach ,parts were all sand
bagged and washed away .Hope they can save the rest of it and the trees
.Nice beach a bit further along ,beach bars and toilets .
The last Typhoon had not done this area any favours as most of the beach
was taken away. A pity, but we still enjoyed it as most avoided it -
left us with plenty peace an quite. You still get the 'hawkers', but
they do take no for an answer...
We wanted to get away from the restaurants/cafes/noise so we biked until
we found a sign 'Hidden Beach' which was down a narrow roadway. Free
bike parking, free sun loungers, free WiFi, free cold shower/toilets as
long as you supported their café. So we had a couple of drinks and a
snack which made for a pleasant couple of hours,...
More
Sadly, the beach has been battered by storms, the sand has been
completely washed away in places and the water is a bit murky, albeit
clean enough. Get on you bike, ride up a bit 'till you find a stretch of
sand and a beach bar that suits you.
Unfortunately the beach we had visited twice before on previous trips to Hoi An has been washed away with high tides.
beautiful beach that the locals are trying to rehab from the storms reclaiming the sand. lovely all the same
31-03-15
An article from January 2015 with still actual information.
Poor river management, excessive coastal development and some nasty storms!
A picturesque stretch of beach rounds off Hoi An’s visitor offerings - especially in the summer months when temperatures and humidity soar. The closest beach to the old town, Cua Dai, was largely washed away in 2014, forcing travellers further north to An Bang.
Note: The information provided in
this review was correct at time of publishing but may change. For final
clarification please check with the relevant service
Hoi An’s beaches are a major attraction in their own right and a great compliment to the old town. But take note, Cua Dai beach, a long time favourite and the location of many resorts, was washed away in 2014 and looks unlikely to return any time soon.
A mix of poor river management, excessive coastal development and some nasty storms are blamed for Cua Dai beach’s disappearance. Climate change and seasonal shifts may have also played a part.
Further north, An Bang beach has also been impacted by erosion but it’s holding its ground. Once considered the groovy, local alternative to busy Cua Dai, An Bang is now the best beach option for visitors to Hoi An.
Around 6kms from downtown, An Bang is making its new stream of visitors welcome with deck chairs, palm frond umbrellas and there’s a great range of restaurants serving everything from delicious local seafood to western dishes. Check our restaurant guide for more information.
The busiest western restaurant on the beach, Soul Kitchen, a popular hangout with Hoi An expats, has day-beds and live music on Sunday afternoons.
Business owners on An Bang beach have faced threats of closure at various times in recent years so keep an eye out for sudden changes. The Hoi An beach situation is volatile and by all accounts, so too is the situation for business owners at An Bang.
25-03-14
Repairs at Cua Dai Beach.
Thanks to some students from different Skandinavia I got some photo's from the recent repairs at Cua Dai Beach. It seems that sandbags are still the prefered way to stop the waves doing more harm at the beach.
You would expect after all the studies and organisations involved it would be done in a more susutainable, professional way.
Next storm season is only half a year away! If this part does not get secured the South part of Cua Dai could be cut off.
12-03-15
I got an interesting article about Hoi An:'Rise and fall of Hoi An. It addresses especially the role of UNESCO.
https://mail.google.com/mail/u/0/#inbox/14c0d3543beb182e?projector=1
06-03-15
Not in Hoi An but Halong Bay. Halong Bay is one of the heritage sites from Vietnam. Like at many sites, Vietnam has still difficulties to cope with the environmental consequences which are related with tourism. There is a total lack of education and awareness on all levels of society. In combination with no discipline of individuals and organisations a worry some development.
05-03-15
Construction on the Cua Dai Bridge Project still continuous. While there are no access roads yet, the bridge will be ready this year.
Tourism is in decline and investment projects again under pressure. Together with the environmental consequences and the future bridge planned between Cam Kim and Thanh Ha it feels that it is a total waste of resources!
08-02-15
The last few weeks the local government in Hoi An, has been busy to widen the road between the Tra Que Bridge and the traffic lights at An Bang.
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| The finished road, May 2015. |
It is clear that this will cause dangerous situations. Especially going in the from the traffic lights towards the Tra Que Bridge. Here the road is much smaller and just when motorbikes and cars are at speed they are forced to slow down and insert. Careful!
17-01-15
At the moment I'm for a while outside Vietnam. I will keep you informed about environmental issues in Hoi An, Quang Nam Province as good as possible but I depend on info from third parties.
02-01-15
The last update about the beach erosion at Cua Dai Beach en An Bang. It's clear that the damage from last year (2014) is much bigger than the years before. Common summer it will feel that the 'beach will come back' but that has more to do with the lower tides. It can be very deceitfully.
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| An Bang Beach south part! |
An Bang wil be very busy this year because of the enormous damage done to Cua Dai Beach. Also construction activities at Cua Dai will be the reason more people will go to An Bang. The effect will be that 'fishing town' An Bang wil be overwhelmed by tourists. More home-stays will be build, parking lots en 'restaurants' will arise en the dunes will get more under pressure.
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| Repair activities at Cua Dai Beach. |
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| Once a buzzing beach! |
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| Ha My Beach, the future beach destination of Hoi An! |
Climate change may wipe out Hoi An?
1/3 of Hoi An City’s areas (Quang Nam) is facing the risk of being submerged out by 2020 due to climate change. Although residents and local authorities have used all means to prevent, the erosion speed on Cua Dai beach is calculated by minute!
Beautiful beaches being washed away!
Hoi An City (Quang Nam) has a long coastline of about 7 kilometers; however, since 2009, coastal erosion has washed away many beautiful beaches, protection forests and encroached into the coastal residential area. Shoreline was turned up into deep hallows by wave; the public beaches were swallowed by the sea; people’s land and gardens were swept off ; hundreds of coconut trees was lodged within 5 days ... These scenes are currently taking place at Cua Dai Beach. The famous resorts such as Hoi An Beach Resort, Victoria Hoi An Beach Resort are partially collapsed by the wave. Au Co coastal road in this area used to be over 200 meters far from the sea, but now it is only about 40 meters far from the sea.
Read more by clicking on the link above!
25-12-14
Measures to prevent erosion at Cua Dai Beach
http://www.talkvietnam.com/2014/12/measures-to-prevent-erosion-at-cua-dai-beach-proposed/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=twitter&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+TalkVietnam+%28Talk+Vietnam%29
This time the Japanese Tohuku University comes with ideas & solutions for the erosion problems at Cua Dai Beach. Also Royal Haskoning DHV a Dutch engineering company, many others and myself (read blog) came with similar solutions. Will it make a difference?
24-12-14
Hoi An is planning again to start building a waste treatment plant! 7 Years ago a French company started with a similar project but left frustrated after years of battling officials.
Now Japan comes up with part of the money! We will follow the project as it progresses or.....!?
http://tuoitrenews.vn/society/21889/vietnam-oks-construction-of-wastewater-treatment-plant-in-hoi-an-ancient-town
22-12-14
A few more photo's from An Bang Beach, north, main and south part. It will be interesting to see if in spring time the 'beach will come back'!
17-12-14
While normal a little effected by erosion during storm season at the moment An Bang Beach gets more than it's usually share while the wind-speed is till low. (20 km/h)
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13-12-14
The tropical storm Hagupit went to South Vietnam. We hardly had any effects of it like rain or wind. Still Cua Dai- and An Bang Beach get battered by high tide and wind (10 till 20 km/hour).
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| Cua Dai Beach |
Another worrying part going on on An Bang- and Hidden beach is 'man made'. Locals dug in lots of metal pipes (60 pieces at 3 different spots) in the sand for their umbrella's. Without the umbrella's the metal pipes stick out about 10 to 15cm out of the sand. In the dark for anybody and playing children or dogs running on the beach it's pretty dangerous!
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| An Bang Beach |
Yesterday more havoc at Cua Dai Beach, Hoi An. The sand bags don't hold and the beach behind gets washed away. With this week more wind and rain we can expect the damage to continue. Hopefully the restaurants keep enough space to continue their business next season and find a solution before rainy & storm season 2015.
How it was, how it is!
Below you can find a prediction of how fast the beach erosion process will go the next 5 ears in Hoi An, Vietnam.
The 2 sand dune photo's show that even An Bang beach - which is about 3 km from where the last Cua Dai beach erosion started - is effected.
Still there is construction going on just below the sand dunes. Big pieces of land are
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| Predicted erosion for the next 5 years. |
The erosion problems at Cua Dai Beach, Hoi An are getting bigger every day! It's getting time to get more expertise on board!
18-11-14
Hoi An's rescue plan: 1. Building dikes & locks
Click on: http://greenapplehoian.blogspot.com/2014/11/hoi-vietnam-rescue-plan.html
Hoi An got offered 4 million from Japan to solve the problem of the enormous river pollution around the Japanese bridge. This was in 2012. Till now (November 2014) nothing is done!
Click on:
http://www.hoianworldheritage.org.vn/en/news/Hoi-An-24h/Japan-to-offer-4-mil-for-Japanese-Bridge-pollution-treatment-255.hwh
Another article from 2008 which quote: "People don’t even realize how polluted the river is. There is no monitoring system here. This is a wake up call. It is becoming a race against time”
Click on: http://www.jica.go.jp/english/news/field/2008/081015_2.html
With all the ongoing destruction in and around Hoi An we can clearly start asking our self: does the local government understands the problems? Does the local government has the knowledge to tackle these problems? Does the local government take these problems serious?
 |
| Developments north of An Bang Beach! |
"Hoi An as an Eco-city
Although the government has adopted the UN-HABITAT/PSU eco-city suggestions, environmental protection seems to have been pushed to the side in favor of development."
Click on: http://www.asialifemagazine.com/vietnam/eco-tourism-hoi-an/
Unfortunate today that's visible true!
14-11-14
Hoi An builds dykes to protect popular attractions
http://www.vietnambreakingnews.com/2014/11/hoi-an-builds-dykes-to-protect-popular-attractions/
13-11-14Cua Dai Beach today:
12-11-14
The last view days there was some minor wind in Hoi An. About 12 km/hour. This was enough to take away more beach at Cua Dai. A metal 'wall' to protect whats left of the beach between Victoria- and Hoi An Beach resort causes more turmoil in the water what makes the waves even more destructive.
The wind speed will stay the same the next few days but Tuesday and Wednesday it will around 20 km/hour. The first restaurants start losing their beach space and in the worst scenario parts of their gardens will be taken by the waves. Yesterday there were only 4 army guys and some local people to help with filling and placing sandbags. With an
08-11-14
While we go from one to another worrying news feed, the information about Hoi An's crumbling beaches keeps appearing in the Vietnamese news papers.
Below some articles:
http://tuoitrenews.vn/lifestyle/23883/vietnams-hoi-an-old-town-losing-beach-to-alarming-coastal-erosion
http://english.vietnamnet.vn/fms/environment/115907/serious-soil-erosion-threatens-central-region.html
 |
| A new development project at An Bang beach just goes on. Sand dunes and trees are bulldozed away, people are re-located. |
Also they forget that poor concrete (to much sand) was the reason that in the Tam Hai island commune in Nui Thanh District, the solid embankment section with the length of two kilometers, built in 2012, was broken by strong sea waves.
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| Erosion in full swing at An Bang Beach. Till now no structural solutions! |
The last month one after another article is published about problems with tourism and the environment. Today 'Domestic climate change study paints bleak picture for Vietnam' in the Thanhnien newspaper. Click on:
http://www.thanhniennews.com/society/domestic-climate-change-study-paints-bleak-picture-for-vietnam-33476.html
You should think the alarm-bells should go off on all levels and people in charge would act. We don't need more reports, it's clear what has to be done!
 |
| All Photo's: Tra Que, Hoi An, Vietnam |
A report about Hoi An, Vietnam. It mentioned most of the aspects which need urgently attention from all involved! A must read for people who live, want to live and are serious about the environment in Hoi An. Click on:
http://greenapplehoian.blogspot.com/2014/10/hoi-vietnam-in-dire-state.html
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| Streets of Hoi An regularly clogged! |
Erosion on Cua Dai Beach? What should we do?
http://www.tripadvisor.in/ShowTopic-g298082-i9204-k7867235-Erosion_on_Cua_Dai_beach_What_should_we_do-Hoi_An_Quang_Nam_Province.html
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| Cua Dai Beach north of the Victoria Resort! |
http://www.hoianbeachresorts.com/2013/10/hoian-at-risk-of-losing-white-beach.html
These projects include Sunrise Hoi An Resort owned by Ocean Hospitality & Service JSC, Hoi An Hideaway Resort, a resort developed by Hoi An Tourist Holding Company and the other project of Cu Lao Cham Tourist JSC.
http://www.vir.com.vn/hoi-an-projects-could-wash-away.html
14-10-14
The alarming rate of erosion of the beaches in Hoi An could have devastating consequences for tourism in the near future.
The last week only with high tide and minor wind and rain 50 meters of beach over a length of 300 meter was 'eaten' by the waves!
It's now time for real action before Hoi An will lose it's appetite by tourists as a beach holliday destination!
http://www.thanhniennews.com/society/a-third-of-vietnams-ancient-town-could-soon-be-under-water-32488.html
29-09-14
PM Nguyen Tan Dung on September 28 attended a ceremony to connect Cua Dai bridge spans in the central province of Quang Nam.
We hope with all the erosion at Cua Dai Beach there will be still 'something to connect' in the near future!
http://thutuong.chinhphu.vn:2012/Home/Cua-Dai-bridge-spans-linked/20149/2576.vgp
22-08-14
http://vietnamnews.vn/society/259160/hoi-an-to-build-erosion-barriers.html
16-06-14
The Cua Dai Bridge project not only has trouble to collect the funds it needs there are also rumors that the pillars & columns of the bridge are designed in the wrong way.
First an article from March this year; Vietnam Breaking News!
Cua Dai Bridge is among the province’s key projects, but it has faced the great difficulty of financial shortage. However, this project got the provincial priority thanks to its expected contribution to local socio-economic development. Up to now, 65% of this project has been done with VND 1,070 billion financed by government bonds. This bridge is expected to be put into operation by September 2 th , 2014. Probably September 2015!
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| April 2004 |
A more worrying rumor is that the pillars & columns are wrong designed and that they never will stand the forces of floodwater, tidal differences and typhoons. The river banks and river bottom is very muddy & sandy! With thousands of m3 sand washed away and added by floods and tidal differences this could undermine and reduce the support of the pillars & columns. In combination with extreme wind forces which occurs during typhoon season the results could be catastrophic. Also the very short distance of the bridge to the river mouth is worrying.
Like written before (07-12-13) on this blog, it's still hard to believe that this bridge and connecting roads really are necessary for supporting tourism and economical reasons.
From information I got it's another important 'extra' north south connection which in case of emergency (war) gives an extra possibility to transport 'goods' quickly from the Tam Ky area to Danang which has a deep sea port. As back up we also have Highway nr 1, the future Trans Central Vietnam Highway and the Ho Chi Minh Trail route (MH14, 15, 16).
With growing tensions in the East Sea region with Japan, Philippines, Vietnam and China involved we could maybe expect a speeding up of the building activities.
In meantime there is a bigger presence of US warships in the Pacific Region. There are 3 Chinese nuclear submarines signaled in the region and Japan, Philippines and Vietnam are prepping up their 'navy & war assets. China started also to build an artificial island for a runway and other military supporting activities.
With all the energy alternatives and new oil findings founds recently it's difficult to understand that our political leaders still are focused on military pressure and action!
As long if this 'mind set' rules the world there is no hope for peace!
02-06-14
Time flights when you are having fun! The solar installation works and with the first power cut 2 weeks ago, our solar system took over automatically.
The Cua Dai Bridge project is on it's way and it gets serious big! It will be visible from all corners around Hoi An. Cam An, Cam Thanh, Cam Chau, Tra Que and Cam Ha. Even from the eastern tip of Cam Nam Island, the bridge will dominate the scenery!
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| The Cua Dai Bridge seen from Cam Thanh. |
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| Destruction of waterways and Water Coconut Forrest at Cam Thanh. |
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| Connecting 4 lane road at Cam Thanh. |
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| Pylons from the Cua Dai Bridge on the Hoi An, Cam Thanh site. |
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| Amateurishly repaired shore protection! |
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| Speed boats are lined up to take tourists in an 'authentic experience to Cham Island. |
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| Close to Cam Chau. The4 lane road ploughs through the rice fields. |
Still worrying developments which irrevocable will lead to a destruction of nature and agricultural area's in and around Hoi An.
07-05-14
Today we connected our private 'off grid' solar installation at 'Green Apple Land. Proudly I can write that this is one of the few or maybe the only off grid installation in Hoi An, Quang Nam Province or maybe even in Vietnam.
We bought a 1.6 kW fully automatic inverter, 3 panels of 230 Wat and 2 batteries of 12 volt, 200 VA each.
We have to 'play' a little bit with the equipment 'the load' we have. Lights, kitchen equipment, 3 pumps etc when all on uses much more than 1.7 kw. What is the chance and what do you use at what time in your house?
Culture Clash Vietnam
With above in time we calculated that 1.7 kW would be ok. There are much more powerful inverters but it's at a cost. Our installation is a 'test installation' which fully understand will be extended with more panels and a larger inverter.
I got help and support from:
Robert Kramreiter
Future Technology Vietnam Co., Ltd.
Energy, Environment, Consulting
Lighthouse Building, 1254-1255 Xo Viet Nghe Tinh,
Hai Chau District, Danang City, Vietnam
Tel: 09-32176057
Fax: +43-820 220 269 056
E-mail: r.kramreiter@futuretech-vietnam.com
Web: www.futuretech-vietnam.com
Nguyen Tan Bich
Solar Serve Center
Hoa Hai Ward - Ngu Hanh Son District - Danang - Vietnam
Tel: 09-195511552
02-05-14
Beach erosion in Hoi An!
Seawalls,
groins, jetties, buildings and shoreline stabilization structures have had
tremendous impacts on our nation's beaches. Shoreline structures are built to
alter the effects of ocean waves, currents and sand movement. They are usually
built to "protect" buildings that were built on a beach that is
losing sand.
Sometimes they are built to redirect rivers and streams. Other
times they are constructed to shelter boats in calm water. In many cases,
seawalls, jetties, breakwaters and groins have caused down-coast erosion
problems with associated costs that have greatly exceeded the construction cost
of the structure. in many other areas shoreline construction has ruined
wildlife habitat, destroyed surfing waves and caused beaches to erode. We need
to understand the consequences of shoreline structures so that we may be able
to effectively influence decisions on the impacts, placement or necessity of
these structures.
Erosion: Where Has All The Sand Gone?
Since the last years we see pictures
of oceanfront buildings falling into giant surf. Beaches are not static piles
of sand. Ocean currents cause beaches to move constantly. Beach sand is
primarily a product of the weathering of the land. Sand can also come from
ocean organisms such as coral. Sand can come from the erosion of coastal
bluffs. However, most of the sand along the world's beaches comes from rivers and streams. When natural
processes are interfered with, the natural supply of sand is interrupted and
the beach changes shape or can disappear completely. Sand production stops when
coral reefs die from pollution, when coastal bluffs are "armored" by sea walls and when rivers are dammed
upstream for flood control and reservoir construction. The sand that
collects behind upstream dams and reservoirs is often "mined" and
sold for concrete production. It then never makes it to the beach. A public resource is sold for private
profit.
In the face of eroding beaches, owners of beachfront property will often try to use their political influence to demand that "something be done." The intelligent action would be to move the building away from the ocean. Unfortunately, what has often been done in the past has been to armor the coastline with rocks, concrete and steel. This does not protect or maintain the beach - it only protects the buildings.
Millions of dollars have been wasted to protect beachfront buildings.
On Cua Dai Beach, sand moves from the river mouth to the beach.It than moves along the coast in the direction of prevailing currents and eventually is moves offshore. This sand transport system is called a littoral cell!
In the face of eroding beaches, owners of beachfront property will often try to use their political influence to demand that "something be done." The intelligent action would be to move the building away from the ocean. Unfortunately, what has often been done in the past has been to armor the coastline with rocks, concrete and steel. This does not protect or maintain the beach - it only protects the buildings.
Millions of dollars have been wasted to protect beachfront buildings.
On Cua Dai Beach, sand moves from the river mouth to the beach.It than moves along the coast in the direction of prevailing currents and eventually is moves offshore. This sand transport system is called a littoral cell!
Seawalls:
When coastal buildings or roads are threatened, usually the first suggestion is to "harden" the coast with a seawall. Seawalls are structures built of concrete, wood, steel or boulders that run parallel to the beach at the land/water interface. They may also be called bulkheads or revetments. They are designed to protect structures by stopping the natural movement of sand by the waves.
When waves hit a smooth, solid seawall, the wave is reflected back towards the ocean. This can make matters worse. The reflected wave (the backwash) takes beach sand with it. Both the beach and the surf may disappear.
Seawalls can cause increased erosion in adjacent areas of the beach that do not have seawalls. This so-called "flanking shore current turns seaward, it is called a rip current.
Erosion"
takes place at the ends of seawalls. Wave energy can be reflected from a
seawall sideways along the shore, causing coastal bluffs without protection to
erode faster. When it is necessary to build a seawall, it should have a sloped (not vertical) face. Seawalls should also
have pockets and grooves in them that will use up the energy of the waves
instead of reflecting it.
Usually the most cost-effective, environmental solution is to move the building away from danger. Building seawalls will buy time against natural processes, but it will not "solve the problem" of erosion by waves.
Usually the most cost-effective, environmental solution is to move the building away from danger. Building seawalls will buy time against natural processes, but it will not "solve the problem" of erosion by waves.
Groins:
Groins are another example of a hard shoreline structure designed as so-called "permanent solution" to beach erosion. A groin is a shoreline structure that is perpendicular to the beach. It is usually made of large boulders, but it can be made of concrete, steel or wood. It is designed to interrupt and trap the longshore flow of sand. Sand builds up on one side of the groin (updrift accretion) at the expense of the other side (downdrift erosion). If the current direction is constant all year long, a groin "steals" sand that would normally be deposited on the downdrift end of the beach. The amount of sand on the beach stays the same. A groin merely transfers erosion from one place to another further down the beach.
Groins
occasionally improve the shape of surfing waves by creating a rip current next
to the rocks. The rip can be a hazard to swimmers. The rip can also divert
beach sand onto offshore sand bars, thereby accelerating erosion. Groins can
also ruin the surf. If the waves are reflected off the rocks, the waves may
lose their shape and "close-out."
As soon as one groin is built, property owners downdrift of it may start clamoring for the government to build groins to save "their" beach. Eventually, the beach may become lined with groins. Since no new sand is added to the system, groins simply "steal" sand from one part of the beach so that it will build up on another part. There will always be beach erosion downdrift of the last groin.
As soon as one groin is built, property owners downdrift of it may start clamoring for the government to build groins to save "their" beach. Eventually, the beach may become lined with groins. Since no new sand is added to the system, groins simply "steal" sand from one part of the beach so that it will build up on another part. There will always be beach erosion downdrift of the last groin.
Breakwaters:
A breakwater
is a large pile of rocks built parallel to the shore. It is designed to block
the waves and the surf. Some breakwaters are below the water's surface (a
submerged breakwater). Breakwaters are usually built to provide calm waters for
harbors and artificial marinas. Submerged breakwaters are built to reduce beach
erosion. These may also be referred to as artificial "reefs."
A breakwater can be offshore, underwater or connected to the land. As with groins and jetties, when the longshore current is interrupted, a breakwater will dramatically change the profile of the beach. Over time, sand will accumulate towards a breakwater. Downdrift sand will erode. A breakwater can cause millions of dollars in beach erosion in the decades after it is built.
A breakwater can be offshore, underwater or connected to the land. As with groins and jetties, when the longshore current is interrupted, a breakwater will dramatically change the profile of the beach. Over time, sand will accumulate towards a breakwater. Downdrift sand will erode. A breakwater can cause millions of dollars in beach erosion in the decades after it is built.
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| A solid seawall. The wave is reflected back towards the ocean. This can make matters worse. |
One more
time! Hydro Electric Dams:
21-04-14
Below some Google Earth Photo's of the impact of resort building 'the wrong way' along the coast of Hoi An.
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| 2004 |
 | |||||
| 2011 |
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| 2012 |
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| 2014 |
19-04-14
An endless stream of bad news about the environment in Vietnam and people keep going on to destroy! This article - and it's in Vietnam's own newspapers - again describes and proves that there is still no awareness about this phenomena!
Vietnam committing tourism hara-kiri!
http://www.thanhniennews.com/special-report/vietnam-committing-tourism-harakiri-3119.html
 |
| Pham Trung Luong, deputy director of the
Tourism Development Institute, said the issue of degrading tourism
destinations has been intensively discussed in many conferences. "However, there have been no changes [for the better]. The situation is actually worsening," he said. |
Below some articles about the beach erosion at Cua Dai Beach Area in Hoi An. It always strucks me that speaks people from government or resorts talk about 'their' financial and economical losses while the losses are for the Hoi An society as a whole and still no steps are undertaken to solve the problem:
Because of the damage dome already build wave breakers from natural blocks of stones. No vertical or concrete walls which create even more kinetically force which has somewhere to go!
http://vietnamnews.vn/environment/240524/resorts-suffer-as-beach-disappears.html
http://www.hoianbeachresorts.com/2013/10/hoian-at-risk-of-losing-white-beach.html
http://www.vir.com.vn/news/en/property/hoi-an-projects-could-wash-away.html
No one in any article is mentioning the reasons why Cua Dai Beach Area is eroding at such a fast way???
16-04-14
I found this article on the internet and was slightly surprised by what was written.
Sunrise resort
Indeed the Katsana Typhoon in 2009 damaged the southern coastline of Cua Dai Beach but this process of erosion started already much earlier. Not only because of uncontrolled building along the coastline, cutting most of the trees for still unfinished development projects and the built hydro electric dams which stops bringing sediment to coastal area's.
The phrase 'From the design phase to the construction, Protection of Nature has always been considered a top concern of Sunrise Hoi An.' is more than over estimated. Not only is the Sunrise Resort reason of the speeding up of erosion along the coast it could have changed it's building footprint after the 2009 typhoon but like 2 other projects management continued developing according earlier made design.
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| North wall next to Sunrise Resort! |
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| Next to Golden Sand, after Typhoon Nari. |
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| Beach now used by the Sunrise Resort. |
09-04-14
Yesterday we could read that Vietnam expects 9 to10 storms this year!? Storm season starts in October in Central Vietnam and I always wonder how it is possible that people make this-future weather predictions, based on....? Of course we have fortune tellers in Vietnam but eh...
I thought in 2014 do we still believe in this?
http://tuoitrenews.vn/society/18822/vietnam-to-sustain-910-direct-storms-this-year
I also wonder that till now that nobody has started yet to repair professionaly the concrete shore protection at Cua Dai
08-04-14
Source: Quang Nam Portal:
Cua Dai Port Service-Tourism Resort to be Built (24/02/2014)
February
24, 2014 - The project of building Cua Dai Port Service-Tourism Resort
(Hoi An City) with total investment of over 45 billion dong has just
been ratified by PPC.
Being
carried out in 2014-2018, the project is aimed at strengthening tourism
infrastructure of Hoi An City, thus contributing to the city’s
socio-economic development
 |
| Again socio -economic development while this whole area is a danger zone because of the destruction done by bad executed development projects! |
 |
| It already exists but from the new marina an army of speedboats will leave every morning to Cham Island an Island group under pressure for yeras from uncontrolled exploitation of mass tourism! |
Accordingly,
main items of the project consist of a 22 m long and 7.8 m wide marina,
a two-floor reception house, two tour operating offices, a ferry
waiting house, a port lounge, toilets and a guard house, etc.
|
| Only with temporary aid the government and investors try to save what's left from once (10 years ago) forrest covert Cua Dai! |
PPC
required the PC of Hoi An City to fulfill all documents in accordance
with governmental procedures of managing construction project, and to
take full legal responsibility for this project.
08-04-14Source: Quang Nam Portal!
VND 560 billion more for Cua Dai Bridge project
(05/03/2014)
PPC
has decided to allocate VND 1,051 of additional government bonds
2014-2016 for 29 transport and medical projects; Cua Dai Bridge got the
biggest sum of VND 560 billion.
Cua
Dai Bridge is among the province’s key projects, but it has faced the
great difficulty of financial shortage. However, this project got the
provincial priority thanks to its expected contribution to local
socio-economic development.
Up to now, 65% of this project has been done
with VND 1,070 billion financed by government bonds. This bridge is
expected to be put into operation by September 2th, 2014.
 |
| Socio-economic development and the same government agrees to build this road through the government protected water coconut area? |
|
| Current state 07-04-14. It's ready in September 2014? |
While since a long time only Cua Dai Beach was effected by the noise and fumes of yet skies and speedboats with para sails since yesterday there is a sign at An bang Beach advertising for yet skies rentals.
An Bang still a nice and relatively quiet beach is getting the last year(s) overwhelmed with home stays. It's good tourism spreads on a small scale and locals can improve their lives. There is one big problem there are no regulations whatsoever. So depending of local officials it will go on till all is out of control. Only the last 4 weeks 6 more people start placing umbrella's, sun beds and tents on the beach. Some sell drinks, etc. So far so good but who will say enough! Now a yet sky sign, a few weeks later the first yet skies.
And tomorrow!?
Evolution has to go this way. In a few years there will be concrete walls, souvenir shops, a boulevard and most of the trees will be gone. To far fetched!? Look at the resort they are building next doors. Stopping this kind of 'progress'!?
31-03-14
The construction of the Cua Dai Bridge project is continuing. The pillars in the Thu Bon are almost finished and the layers are ready to instal and stored on the Southern banks of the Thu Bon River.
 |
| Cua Dai Bridge Project, March 2014 |
 |
| Cam Thanh area! |
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| North of the Cua Dai Street |
Environment sacrificed for economic development!
Vietnam has to pay a heavy price for the economic growth. A lot of areas have got seriously polluted. The forests have been destroyed.
It's the same in Hoi An and the big question is when will the people in charge wake up!
Environment sacrified for economy!
29-01-14
It's almost the Vietnamese New year and I would like to start this year positive. A few days ago we installed the frames for our solar panels on our pergola in our backgarden.
Not many people yet us solar energy to generate electricity in Vietnam. If our installation is finished we like to invite people at our home to show how it works and what the benefits are.
For more information:
Nguyen Tan Bich (Director)
Solar Serve Center - Lo 24-26 B2.7 - TDC Dong Hai
Hoa Hai Ward - Ngu Hanh Son District - Danang - Vietnam
E-mail:solarserve@yahoo.com
Dr. Robert Kramreiter
Chairman & CEO
Future Technology Vietnam Co., Ltd.
Energy, Environment, Consulting
Lighthouse Building, 1254-1255 Xo Viet Nghe Tinh,
Hai Chau District, Danang City, Vietnam
Fax: +43-820 220 269 056
E-mail: r.kramreiter@futuretech-vietnam.com
Web: www.futuretech-vietnam.com
Green Apple Land
Hans van der Broek
Tra Que, Cam Ha, Hoi An, Quang Nam Province Vietnam
E-mail: greenapplehoian@gmail.com
08-01-14
Proudly I announce the release of the documentary ‘Flood Lines’ - Urban Adoption to Climate Change in Hoi An, Vietnam.
I was fortunate to be invited by Alyssa Grinberg, Programme Specialist United Nations Human Settlements Programme too make a small contribution for this production.
03-01-14
First of all the best wishes for 2014. I hope it will be a great year with many good developments on any level.
I'm happy to announce that soon there will be a documentary available addressing the flood problems in Hoi An. I had the honer to contribute in a small part of the production. It gives a good idea about the issues Hoi An is facing and some of the solutions.
The documentary is made by: Alyssa Programme Specialist United Nations Human Settlements Programme
Another positive event is that Green Apple Hoi An together with Solar Serve and Future technology Vietnam has started a project to start produce environmental friendly fuel on a small scale. Produced oil will be offered to businesses who are involved in tourism in Hoi An. The project will be in line with the UNIDO (UN) project to develop Hoi An as the first Eco town in 2030.
The last positive news is that I just received our solar panels for ' Green Apple Land'. The panels will be brought in place the next few weeks. After TET - the Vietnamese new year - the installation will be connected and put in to operation!
26-12-13
The last days of 2013 are ticking
away. Maybe a good moment too reflect on this year.
The environment is mostly addressed
as subjects related with nature and the way we interact with it. Of course it’s
much broader and it especially includes human behavior!
It was a tough year for Vietnam and Hoi
An. In the newspapers we have been reading articles about pollution, the
regulations concerning this which don’t give a lot of hope. Deforestation, mammals
on the brink of extinction or just not here anymore! Water problems on any
level, massive damage after the storms and flooding.
You could say our society and everything related with it is eroding fast!
In Hoi An where mass tourism
start to have impact on behavior, traffic load, nature and supplies. Suddenly in
every street there are 3 or more spa’s, which are not really spa’s! Suddenly
you can find everywhere home stays which most of them are not really home stays!
Souvenir stalls too many too count which all have the same on display. Often it
are imported products from the beloved neighbors China or coming from one of the 3000 ‘handicraft’ villages which are polluting there environment on massive
scale!
Hoi An became a ‘grabbing’ society
because there is no planning in the amount of tourist businesses or the products
they have to offer. Too many of the same and the ‘growth’ of tourism does not
justify the enormous amount of restaurants etc.
So most shop owners or staff go on the
street to lure the tourist in their shops! “Come in please, have a look in my
shop”, running after tourists with depilatory strings,
pocket calculators, souvenirs etc.
In the pottery- and vegetable village people have to pay to ride on public roads by bicycle, motorbike or walking. People get hassled by officials in the old quarter too pay 120.000 VND. The ticket is for entering some of the sight seeings in the old quarter not for only walking there! Welcome!
In the pottery- and vegetable village people have to pay to ride on public roads by bicycle, motorbike or walking. People get hassled by officials in the old quarter too pay 120.000 VND. The ticket is for entering some of the sight seeings in the old quarter not for only walking there! Welcome!
It’s a shame seeing this happening because the same
people who are responsible for this mess say they will address these problems.
Like Einstein said; you can not expect solutions from the same people who created the problems!
Like Einstein said; you can not expect solutions from the same people who created the problems!
But the erosion of Vietnam's image starts already by
applying for a visa. It should cost 45 $ but in the Netherlands you pay 77 Euro is
about 100 $. Welcome in Vietnam.
This grabbing for money goes on till you leave Vietnam.
Every tourist could be a major marketer for Vietnam if satisfied. Vietnam has one of the lowest percentages of tourists who will come back for a second time!
Every tourist could be a major marketer for Vietnam if satisfied. Vietnam has one of the lowest percentages of tourists who will come back for a second time!
Vietnam will go
for mass tourism and concrete! In about a few years Vietnam will be visited by mainly
Asian & Russian tourists on package tours. They will visit Hoi An for a few
hours, for a photo and a souvenir. The tours are mostly all inclusive so the
food will be consumed in a limited amount of restaurants and mainly in the
resorts.
Nature in and around Hoi An is almost gone! Many projects
came to a stand still because a lack of funding and the way they get funded.
The trees are cut the soil erodes away, the storms in October and November will
finish it of!
We got an invitation from the local government for a new
years dinner. A nice gesture! It’s cancelled because not many people confirmed.
With almost 400 expats living in Hoi An it tells you the connection between the
expat community and Hoi An. There are too many issues which are not addressed,
will not be addressed and everybody has his/her own way to cope with problems and
find solutions. We are all living on our small islands, totally disconnected.
I made a walk on An Bang Beach this morning. The beach is
clean (everything is buried) where the businesses are. In between it’s a mess.
Ahh, tourists don’t walk!
It’s all eroding! The photos tell it all!
Just another project, the cleanup of the Coco River! Till know - October 2014 - nothing started yet!
http://www.talkvietnam.com/2013/12/co-co-river-cleanup-to-cost-30-million/
07-12-13
News about the storms and flood are quickly disappearing out of the news and taken over by the importance of the growing tourist industry and tourism firms’ thirst for awards resolved with poor prices!
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2013-11-21/an-vietnam-flood-toll-rises/5106768
The next few months will be interesting to see if there is any action undertaken by the Vietnamese Government to tackle some of the man made problems!
Some of the resorts are still recovering from the storms and are busy to repair. In some cases people leave the resorts because why would you pay big money to stay in a disaster area! Insurance fees will rise and management will start calculating if it's still profitable to keep some of the resorts open.
Another question arises why the government is so persistent to build a road between Tam Ky and Danang at a cost of 500 million US $ for a stretch of 100 km. Of course companies who 'bought' already some land south of the Thu Bon river will see their m2 rising with 2 or 300 %. But with predictions about more storms, flooding and worse in this area why would you build a bridge at a costs of 285 million US $ less than 1 km from the river mouth of the Thu Bon River. Tam Ky is the capital of Quang Nam Province with about 110.000 inhabitants, Some industry and 25-30 kilometers to the north of Chu Lai airport, Ky Ha port, and Chu Lai open economic zone.
The Government of Vietnam has approved an investment plan for Chu Lai airport. According to this plan, Chu Lai airport will receive nearly VND 11,470 billion (nearly $700 million)in investment for enlarging its capacity to 25 landing places by 2015 and 46 by 2025. The project will include renovation and new infrastructure, including two runways, 3,800m and 4,000m long, and 60 meters wide each, six parking lots and two transit stations. By 2010, existing runways and parking lots will be upgraded. The airport will also receive a new signal light system and control station for average sized aircraft, such as Boeing 767s and Airbus A320s. Vietnamese officials hope the airport will be able to handle 4 million passengers by completion in 2025. The airport is projected to become an air cargo transport hub, with 5 million metric tons of cargo per year.
So the need to bring tourists from Tam Ky to Danang and vice versa makes no sense because both cities have international airports. Bringing cargo from Tam Ky to Danang is possible but why would you do this along resorts, tourist activities and - yes again - through the pristine, cultural, agriculture tourist area of Hoi An?? So could it have some thing to do with the the UN under the name of Unido and Unesco. These people give money for Hoi An and 'greening' - yes you read it well - from businesses. Or has it to do with the US and Australia getting 'better friends' with Vietnam, doing military exercises together,because slowly interests shift from the Middle East to the Pacific! Nice to have some basis in Central Vietnam, Japan and the Phillipines close where the action maybe will be: China!
02-12-13
Hoi An's growing pains:
http://www.talkvietnam.com/2013/12/hoi-an-tourism-a-growing-pain/
22-11-13
Vietnam dams reviled over high death toll!
Disgruntlement and anger over rampant construction of hydroelectric dams, simmering for many years now, has risen to a crescendo in Vietnam following the death of 41 people in the central and Central Highlands regions last weekend.
What are the negative impacts of Hydro Electric Dams?
- Damage to the environment.
- people have to be re-located!
- Loss of agricultural area.
- Loss of Eco systems!
- Certain fish can not migrate anymore and will die!
- Fertile soil will stay behind the dam and sink to the bottom.
- Fertile soil will not reach the lower delta area's anymore to nourish plants.
- Water does not flow any more behind the dam and the temperature will rise.
- Organic material will start to rot and will subtract oxygen from the water.
- Fish starts to die.
- Releasing water can course strong currents.
- Damage to infrastructure!
- people die, property gets washed away.
- Economical damage because of closing down shops, factories, loss of life stock, etc.
- Weakening of the existing environmental situation!
- Sediment does not reach coastal area's which is partly used for a natural build up of beaches.
Positive:
- Electricity
- In some cases it creates recreation area's.
- In some cases it attracts new animal & plant species.
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| Hoi An flooded November 2013! |
15-11-13
Fortunate the Super Typhoon Haiyan went north above the East Sea! We were very lucky especially if you see the human loss and devastation in the Philippines.
The last few days Hoi An got flooded again. The management and the government does not seam to be interested in the loss of lives and damage caused by the effects of the dam building and lack of any knowledge of the
hydro management teams of how to cope with these dams!
Below some links to articles which tells it all! In Vietnam there is no hope expected for any improvement about environmental issues.
http://www.thanhniennews.com/index/pages/20131116-floods-from-tropical-low-plus-dam-release-kill-5-in-central-vietnam.aspx
http://english.vietnamnet.vn/fms/environment/89161/scientist-admits-natural-calamities-getting-more-unpredictable.html
http://english.vietnamnet.vn/fms/environment/89073/dau-tieng-protective-forest-in-danger.html
http://english.vietnamnet.vn/fms/environment/88929/illegal-logging-damages-ca-mau-park.html
http://english.vietnamnet.vn/fms/environment/88547/hydropower-plants-haven-t-paid-debts-to-the-forests.html
It's all about more and bigger numbers while especially coastal area's and forests are crumbling. At least 5 km of beach area in Hoi An could be named a disaster zone but we keep on building, re-building, etc while beaches are disappearing, buildings are toppling over and many keep on saying;"it's no problem". Just keep on sticking you head underground!
Photo's from: Craig, Phil and Steve! Thanks!
07-11-13 Tropical storm Krosa came but was mild in compare with Typhoon Nari about 3 weeks ago! Another typhoon moves to Hoi An and this one is serious. Typhoon Haiyan
Today the 7th of November 2013 some repairs were done in the Cua Dai Beach area!
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| Holes already in the newly built shore protection wall! |
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| Sand bags have to do the trick?????? |
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| The lost Novotel Resort! |
03-11-13
With Typhoon Krosa on it's way to Central Vietnam Danang, Quang Ngai we can expect some more 'fire work' in the Cua Dai Beach Area.
The last view weeks emergency repairs are done but its far from finished! Another storm could add additional damage on whats left from some swimming pools, 'villa's' and beaches.
Below a photo from Krosa, a 36 hours lead and a edited photo from Cua Dai's most southern tip which could be disappeared
Next week an article which describes a 'solution' for this area under siege!
20-10-13
The Cua Dai Bridge Project is getting shape. The pylons of the bridge are 'growing' every week and as far as I can guess in about half a year they will start putting the horizontal beams in place.
Also they start preparing the first part part of the road which will go through the water Coconut Forrest, Cam Thanh and Cam Chau! Again 1 step closer to another addition of destruction of the beauty of Hoi An's agricultural and fishing area's!
Mass tourism has started and within 5 years we only go by speeds boats to Cham Island, will 'banana boats' take you along the devastated coastline of Cua Dai and is Hoi An only about entertainment and consuming! UNESCO is sleeping and the UN who has the goal together with Hoi An to make Hoi An as the greenest eco town in Vietnam still believe in fairy tales!
19-10-13
As predicted the 'next' storm - NARI in this case - would course massive damage to the coastal area in Hoi An. At least 4 resorts are hit very badly and from one you can say it's better to knock it down.
Also the newly build concrete shore protection did not give the protection you should expect. Waves went over the road and washed big blocks of granite and basalt away.
It's very clearly that all repairs are temporary and with the next storm to come it will getting more worse than the storm before.
The only way to protect the southern part of Cua Dai is to make wave breakers in the sea to take away some of the destructive power of the waves.
Also the An Bang beach area get in the danger zone. With less trees and roots to keep the soil together, the sand dunes with the rubbish berried in it will start slowly to erode away!
Another concern is the releasing of water from the Son Tranh 2 Dam at times when Hoi An is already flooded.
We can conclude that only stupidity and greed rules
16-10-13
NARI came to life around 4 pm the 14th and it took 24 hours to slow down. It's 1 peak was around 4 am the 15th of October. At 5 am we were in the eye of the storm and after 1 hour it started again. Most of the damage was done in the second part of the typhoon. A lot of trees collapsed and are facing west, means the wind came from the east.
3 Resorts got severe damage. An Bang's sand dunes got partly 'eaten away' by big waves. Below some photo's from the damage in Hoi An, Cua Dai- and An bang beach.
All respect for the people who were involved of making the roads free again from branches and trees. The people from the EVN, who repaired the electricity wires and poles so quickly!
We wish all the best with the recovering from this bad storm!
14-10-13
Another storm & typhoon - NARI - is coming towards Vietnam. In this case it goes straight to Danang which is 35 km from Hoi An.
At the moment - 8 am - the wind is still mild but it will increase in strength over the next 10 hours.
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| An Bang Beach, 6 am, 14-10-13 |
A lot of people were collecting drift wood from the beach. During rainy season flood waters are taking Water Hyacinth, trunks and debris from the river shores. It all ends up 2 or 3 km outside the river mouth in the East Sea. The current takes it later to the beaches.
02-10-13
Today we had a small flood in Hoi An. The soil was soaked with water and the government announced that they would open the Song Tranh 2 dam to release some water.
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| Old quarter of Hoi An. |
28-09-13
Tropical storm WUTIP is on it's way and could bring some flooding in Hoi An. According the forecast it will make landfall between Dong Hoi and Dong Ha. That's north of Danang but sure we will have some rain. With the soil soaked with water, water levels could get higher than 10 days ago with the Tropical depression 18.
Tropical storm Wutip is forecast to strike Vietnam as a typhoon at about 06:00 GMT on 30 September. Data supplied by the US Navy and Air Force Joint Typhoon Warning Center suggest that the point of landfall will be near 16.9 N, 108.5 E. Wutip is expected to bring 1-minute maximum sustained winds to the region of around 157 km/h (97 mph). Wind gusts in the area may be considerably higher.
According to the Saffir-Simpson damage scale the potential property damage and flooding from a storm of Wutip's strength (category 2) at landfall includes: Storm surge generally 1.8-2.4 metres (6-8 feet) above normal. Some roofing material, door, and window damage of buildings. Considerable damage to shrubbery and trees with some trees blown down. Considerable damage to mobile homes, poorly constructed signs, and piers. Coastal and low-lying escape routes flood 2-4 hours before arrival of the storm center. Small craft in unprotected anchorages break moorings. There is also the potential for flooding further inland due to heavy rain.
20-09-13
Even we had a minor storm (tropical Depression 18 or according others 8) some roads in
Hoi An old quarter were flooded and the bridge from the old quarter to An Hoi was closed for a while.
Fortunate the damage was minor but you can ask your self why with a little rain the river gets on such a high level so quickly.
Go to: Flood Central Vietnam
Of course there is the deforestation
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| Deforestation Quang Nam Province! |
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| Land slides caused by too steep 'walls' and deforestation! |
In combination with high tide and sometimes wind from the East, the water level in the river will rise even more quickly. Also the construction of the Cua Dai Bridge - pillars and artificial sand island for construction work - will create extra drag!
With Typhoon Usagi on it's way and the rainy season official not even started in Central Vietnam we can expect some more floods to come. Usagi will make landfall in the north around the 24th of September (Hong Kong, Hanoi). At the moment it's a category 4 typhoon!
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| Typhoon Usagi on its way! |
02-09-13
Yesterday around 6 pm an unusal event took place just for the coast of Son Tra, Danang.
There was clearly a waterspout to see! I never have seen this before in this area but sure there have been waterspouts in the past in Central Vietnam!
23-08-13
Today I have been talking and driving around Hoi An to show 'Hot Spots' which causes flooding in this area with Alyssa Grinberg from Habitat United Nations.
The reasons we have big flooding in Hoi An are mainly man made! Deforestation in the mountains which brings more water in the delta with the same amount of rain as in the past. Trees can absorb huge amounts of water when still there!
There is everywhere pavement which does not allow rainwater to penetrate. We start canalising rivers why water can not spread out anymore.
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| The Cua Dai Bridge Project on it's way! |
The next report on flooding which is a repeat from all the previous rapports! The big question is; when do we really start to act?
14-08-13
There is an endless stream of publications and articles about climate change and flooding. Next Monday I have a meeting with a UN Habitat member about this issue. After years of research, publications of reports and news articles it feels that most governments are apathetic and undertake hardly any steps. Like little children many are still squabbling about who is to blame and who has to pay!
Below an article which tells it all again!
http://english.vietnamnet.vn/fms/environment/81615/scientists-warn-about-extreme-weather-due-to-climate-change.html
The answer is very easy. Stop building in rivers. Restore forests & dunes as soon as possible. Make roads with a permeable surface. Stop building along rivers. Build wave breakers in the sea and start to build infrastructure and housing more land inward so you can move people on time before coastal area's get permanent flooded! Because whatever the reason is it is an unstoppable force. We just need to adapt!
09-08-13
Back from a beautiful trip in the Netherlands! It's in sharp contrast what happens in the Netherlands if you talk about the environment. I hope the Vietnamese government gets serious soon about this otherwise there is nothing to save anymore.
Take this article in the Asia Life Magazine! I and others in Hoi An like: Jack Tran, Amy Morison, Nandine Ziegeldorf and Lee got interviewed by Kathie Jacobs. Click on: http://www.asialifemagazine.com/vietnam/eco-tourism-hoi-an/
I think the message is clear!
In about 1 week I have another interview with Alyssa Grinberg from from Habitat UN about the flooding and adaption to this in Hoi An. I will let you know about the outcome!
24-07-13
Already 3 weeks in the Netherlands. We are so lucky with the weather it's almost tropical. The first thing I observed after 3 years away is how green the Netherlands is. Another feature is the wind parks and solar panels on many buildings: private, business and government. I just visited a new built private house with an state of the art solar, heating and cooling installation.
The technique is there, the will of many is there but governments and big cooperation's are still not ready/willing to use these techniques on a large scale. Of course big money (oil) and politics is often behind this!
Many people are still not in favour of wind parks because of the noise, danger and costs. To this group I like to say we are in a transition period. You can not expect to have the perfect answers in such a short time. Combustion engines are developed over more than a century. With the common wind parks engineers can continue to develop new techniques which will result in better and small windmills.
19-06-13
This morning at around 8 am there was a group children under guidance of some adults cleaning the sides of the road at Hai Ba Trung Street at Tra Que! Plastic and other rubbish was collected and hopefully processed in the right way! Anyway a good step forwards! Great!
13-06-13
I just ordered a solar installation for our house in Tra Que, Green Apple Land.
There are 2 interesting companies who can deliver complete solar installations. for your house or company building (restaurant, hotel & resort, factory).
The companies are:
Ronald Nijland
Sol Invictus Ltd.
Add: 49 Phan Dang Luu street
Hai Chau District, Danang, Vietnam
Tel: +84-5113638088
Fax: +84-5113638099
E-mail: rn@s-i.vn
and
Dr. Robert Kramreiter
General Director
Future Technology Vietnam Co., Ltd.
Energy, Environment, Consulting
Lighthouse Building, 1254-1255 Xo Viet Nghe Tinh,
Hai Chau District, Danang City, Vietnam
Mobile VN: +84-932 176
Mobile EU: +43-660 529 7239
Fax: +84-511 362 6889
11-06-13
Again an article about the erosion of Cua Dai Beach! While knowing partly what it coursed nothing is done to bring back the situation in the original state. That would mean at least to brake down the former Novotel carcass, Fusion Alya and the Sunrise resort. So The state pays 5.5 million US $ which actually has to be paid by the resort owner & investment groups!
Read: http://english.vietnamnet.vn/fms/environment/76439/resorts-suffer-as-beach-disappears.html.
06-06-13
Already a few days I see a man cutting trees in the dunes on An Bang Beach! Ready to build more illegal structures which will at the end course more erosion etc!
What really pisses me of is that today I read in the Vietnamese news papers:
Vietnam is assessed as one of the nations gravely affected by climate change
VN faces great environmental problems!
Climate change could drown central Vietnam’s famous Hoi An Town
So what information do we need more- and this is almost on daily basis - to start doing something. I mainly see meetings with a lot of drinking & eating people eating from plastic plates, drinking out of plastic bottles, hugging and tapping each other on the shoulders. Police who are watching Tom & Jerry and locals cutting more trees, making more concrete pavement in front of their houses and along rivers! Sorry but this country is totally lost!
23-05-13
I got an interesting 'photo' from Cua Dai Beach how it was in 2004 and how it is 'now' in 2013 (Google Earth). You can clearly see till where the beach was and where it is now! A little worrying.
What you see the is the part between; left Cua Dai Street and right the Southern Tip from where the boats leave to Cham Islands.
The blue line marks where the beach was in 2004. The red line marks the current beach width!
Thanks Ton for the info!
21-05-13
There has been a meeting to solve the problem off the erosion off Cua Dai Beach behind some resorts. On initiative from Rudy van Bork, the Dutch Royalhaskoning - Architects, Engineers, Consultants - was invited to give their opinion about a solution.
Below some photo's from projects which are not finished for a long time and are also create erosion problems in this area!
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| Cua Dai Bridge Project! |
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| Urban house & Villa Project |
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| Resort Project |
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| Urban house & Villa Project Cua Dai! |
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| Urban house & Villa Project Tra Que/An Bang |
Sad news from Cua Dai Beach in Hoi An. About a week ago 1 man got killed in a freak jet ski accident. Many knew it was a matter of time this would be happening. People with no experience and sometimes
Many are happy there is no noise and pollution anymore from the jet ski's! We hope it stays that way. Jet ski's don't belong at a place where people are swimming!
20-05-13
It seems to be extremely hot the last few days! Looking back in my 'weather history', click on:
Hoi An weather history we had in the recent past also hot days in May. The difference now is that the sun feels more 'intense'. I hear more people complaining about skin problems like 'Prickling Heat! Click on:
Heat Wave Hanoi
Heat wave Ha Nam
Heat wave North-, Central Vietnam
14-05-13
It's not a real Hoi An thing yet but it could in the near future. GM food is getting closer and even the Vietnamese government has contacted Monsanto for their rice yield problems! We should never allow any cooperation genetically modify our food not knowing what the outcome is even in the short term!
13-05-13
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| Erosion starts already after half a year! |
The cement is not strong enough and the small pebbles inside the concrete got visible already and at some places start to disappear! It also seams that during construction poor cement was used to fill up gaps and damages off the slaps.
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| Cement get's washed away! |
Along one off the resorts where they have made a artificial 'beach' because the beach was washed away behind the resort the whole area behind it start's to erode.
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| An artificial created beach start's to erode! |
Trees planted along this whole area are for 50 % dead! Despite all the efforts made it doesn't feel it will all last for long!
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| 50 % Off the plated trees are dead! |
Vietnamese are so proud, so proud about their children! For that reason it is so strange they make a mess off their environment and for this taking away the future of their children.
I mentioned it already. Look at this photo, made in Tra Que Hoi An today the 9th off May 2013! Tra Que, tourist attraction in Hoi An.
And also on the East side along the river plastic and waste all over the place! Great!
It's the same like all the the environmental issues mentioned in the news papers. There is a lot off talk but ehhh not a lot is done!
06-05-13
We had some beautiful hot days the last week often ending with some small showers at the end off the day. Strong waves at the moment at An Bang Beach so be careful.
There is a new small building project going on in the dunes and on the plot off land next to it they just cut about 20 pine trees. More chance for erosion and so weakening the dunes!
At Tra Que where I live they start dumping rubbish in great amounts (especially plastic) opposite the home stay (grey building). Great for the environment because it's next to the river and great for all the bicycle groups passing this, Another dumping ground is on the east part off Tra Que also next to the river! Great advertisement for tourists!
29-04-13
Time flies and the last week there where again some surprising developments. First the earlier mentioned waste bins from the government which you can find now everywhere in Hoi An.
A great improvement.
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Second every other week there are dead pigs on the beach between An bang and Hami Beach. I don't know if they are dumped in the
Thu Bon river and brought there by the current or they are directly dumped by somebody! Certainly it doesn't belong there.
Third this week a big sign of future developments in Hoi An was erected along Hai Ba Trung Street close to An Bang Beach. Good thing is that the fishing village opposite Tra Que and part off the fishing village of An Bang seems to be saved from destruction! Bad is that there will be so much build like a shopping center, museum, high rise buildings, resorts etc that it could be a desolated area for a long time if there is uncontrolled destruction from houses and greenery on a large scale followed
by years off none activity caused by a lack off investors 'read money'!
We have already 8 projects on a halt between Hoi An and Danang so lets hope that some people learned from this!
19-04-13
The beach at An Bang is clean! It looks better than ever before! The rubbish is still buried on the beach but let's say it's a big step forwards and part off the evolution learning process!
In Hoi An there are waste bins now for separate organic and other waste. Also a good step forwards!
11-04-13
The last week the same people who clean and bury the waste on the beach. With the first storm in October the water will wash the sand away and all the rubbish will again disappear in the sea. It's difficult to understand because the government comes 2 or 3 times a week to collect waste.
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| This makes no sense! |
Still a pity is the amount off organic material which is offered as waste! Even ladies on the beach are collecting shells and bury them on the beach! What's going on?!!
The world never stops me surprising me!
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| Collecting shells which will be burried later? |
05-04-13
Every morning I go for a walk or swimming on one off the most famous beaches in the world. This according some travel magazines. Or this people are blind or have never been outside the 5 star resort were they stay! The last few days I see people digging big holes and dumping rubbish in it! The beach is littered with plastic! I walk in between the rubbish and if I look at the 'dune' site all the trees are cut and 2 unfinished concrete skeletons are facing the beach!
The government tries to inform people and also on schools and TV there is information given to create more awareness about the pollution and waste problem in Vietnam. Unfortunate there is no force to check and control! The Vietnamse they say yes and smile but nothing is really done!
31-03-13
Below 'article' generated a lot off reactions. Most positive and from people with the same frustration!
Under an article from this month from journalist Herby Neubacher! It's amazing how far destruction goes and our 'leaders' have mainly 'eye' for MONEY & GREED!
Well it's not about Hoi An and surrounding area but of course there is no doubt watching the environment in and around Hoi An ist could be about our town and beaches!
Tourism Hara Kiri in Vietnam!
Vietnam committing tourism hara-kiri
Destroying
nature and natural landscapes to exploit it an extremely short-sighted policy
that will not serve the nation well, experts warn
One
of the most infamous statements of the Vietnam War was made by an American
military official who said they had to destroy a village in order to save it.
A
free Vietnam
is now freely deploying destruction in all its most beautiful areas in the name
of development, especially tourism development.
Not
so many people visiting the Pongour Falls in Lam
Dong Province
are aware that the waterfall dies at night.
Once
hailed by King Bao Dai as the best cascade in the southern region, it has dried
out often since 2008, when a hydropower plant was built upstream.
In
2011, the falls management decided to pump water from nearby streams into the
waterfall flow but they had to find an alternative measure that was less
costly.
“We
had to built a reservoir to release water into the fall [during the day],”
Truong Thi Dang, director of the Dat Nam Tourism Company, which manages the
falls.
Located
50 kilometers south of Da Lat resort town, the once-imposing Pongour Falls
used to stretch 100 meters wide and flow from 40 meters high via seven stories.
The colonial French considered it Indochina’s
most majestic waterfall.
Reducing
this natural boon and wonder to an artificial waterfall that only works during
the day is shocking, but experts say many other waterfalls in the province have
suffered an even worse fate – they have died forever.
They
also say that the death of the waterfalls is just one example of highly
unsustainable development in Vietnam
where many famous, natural tourism destinations are being exploited in a
“destructive manner.”
Pham
Trung Luong, deputy director of the Tourism Development Institute, said the
issue of degrading tourism destinations has been intensively discussed in many
conferences.
“However,
there have been no changes [for the better]. The situation is actually
worsening,” he said.
Luong
pointed out a number of reasons for the dire predicament, including low
awareness of protecting tourism destinations among tourists and tourism agents,
ineffective management at local levels and no enforcement of relevant
regulations.
In the mountains
Luong’s
criticism is well reflected in many popular tourism destinations in the
country, especially in mountainous areas including the Central Highlands
and Sa Pa Town in the north.
The
Gougah and Lien Khuong waterfalls used to be famous destinations on the way
from Ho Chi Minh City
to Da Lat Town. However, both have dried out due to unsustainable development
in the area.
An
official of Lam Dong Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism, who wanted to
remain anonymous, said his agency has proposed to higher authorities that they
revoke the certificate recognizing the two waterfalls as national tourism
destinations.
“The
waterfalls have disappeared because of deforestation, hydropower plants and the
constructions in the area for services,” he said. “The construction has
affected the flow and interrupts the natural landscape of the falls.”
In
Da Lat, poor development policies and execution have seriously affected several
tourism destinations.
Constructions
in concrete have spoiled the natural beauty of Thung Lung Tinh Yeu (Love Valley)
and Doi Mong Mo (Dream Hill).
At
the Cam Ly Falls, a 2,000-seat stage and a large restaurant opened in 2010 and
occupied a large area of the natural scene. Moreover, water pollution has been
a headache for the waterfall management agency.
“Upstream water flows
through residential areas in Da Lat and many people litter freely causing
serious pollution,” said Ta Hoang Giang, director of the Da Lat Tourism
Company.
Sa
Pa in the northwestern province of Lao Cai
is being “destroyed” in a similar fashion.
Phan
Dinh Hue, director of the HCMC-based Vong Tron Viet (Viet Circle) Tourism
Agent, said he recently joined a field trip to Sa Pa with other foreign
partners and found that it is about to lose its natural beauty.
“Trucks
at some nearby hydropower plants under construction have damaged the roads. And
the streams will disappear soon [after the dams are built].”
“People
are exploiting Sa Pa like chopping down a tree to pick its
fruits,” he said.
On the beach
Unsustainable
tourism develop-ment is even more visible on Vietnam’s beaches.
With
a long coastline of 3,260 kilometers and more than 4,000 islands Vietnam has
rich sea tourism potential, but its beaches have also fallen victim to
haphazard developments.
According
to the Quang Ninh tourism department, only 40 out of every 100 European
visitors to Vietnam
visited Ha Long Bay in 2012. Recently christened a new natural world wonder,
the bay’s water is polluted by waste discharged from both tourism and cargo
ships.
Ha
The Tien, an engineer working on a ship in Ha Long said most vessels discharge
waste, including from toilets, directly into the water.
“Each
passenger boats discharge an average of 2,000-3,000 liters of waste every day.
With 500 tourism boats, it’s up to 1.5 million liters of untreated waste
discharged into the bay,” he said.
The
Thien Cung and Dau Go caves are common destinations in Ha Long Bay. However,
the decoration of color lights and pathway construction have spoiled the
natural beauty of stalactites and damaged the limestone.
Meanwhile,
rapid tourism development at Mui Ne – a well known destination in the south
central province
of Binh Thuan – has
seriously spoiled its natural beauty.
Nguyen
Van My, director of the HCMC-based Lua Viet Company, said Mui Ne tourism has
developed at the fastest pace in Vietnam.
“We
used to go from Phan
Thiet Town
along a natural beach. The coconut trees have been chopped down for the
construction of resorts,” he said.
Rapid,
unsustainable development has destroyed the Hong Stream. It has dried out because
of the construction of resorts in the vicinity, he added.
Tran
Anh Tuan, director of Binh Thuan Department of Construction, said the province
stipulates that a resort's constructions should not occupy more than 25 percent
of its total area and should maintain a minimum distance of 50 meters from the
sea.
However,
it can be seen that both rules are violated with impunity by most resorts in
the area.
Pollution is also a huge
problem in Mui Ne.
A member of the
environmental police force in Binh Thuan, who wanted to remain anonymous, said
many resorts discharge untreated waste directly into the sea.
“We
have to collect tons of garbage along the coastline everyday,” he said.
‘No sight for seeing’
Hue, director of Viet Circle, said a French tourist had
told him that he would never return
to Nha Trang after seeing concrete construction around a resort on an
island in the bay there.
“He
said tourists want to be in natural places but people have destroyed the nature
there,” he said.
Hue said investors and relevant authorities have not
considered the impacts on natural environment when developing tourism.
Luong,
deputy director of the Tourism Development Institute, admitted that tourism
companies do not think that it is their responsibility to protect the
environment.
“The
natural landscape of many tourism destinations has been damaged and buildings
have blocked the view. Besides, pollution and unhygienic toilets have been
common problems in a lot of places,” he said.
“It
will happen soon that tourists coming to Vietnam will have nothing to see
except for damaged nature.”
23-03-13
Events in the last few weeks
made me decide to stop to organize 'Clean
Sweeps' for Green Apple Hoi An.
I’m convinced that at the
end the people off Vietnam
and in this case Hoi An have to solve their own problems. It’s nice that there
is so many afford and initiative taken by foreigners but in the 20 years I’ve
been around in Vietnam
it’s modestly helpful & successful!
Vietnam is still to much restrained in cultural and
political obstacles.
Part off this is the
obsession with money and wanting to show off which doesn’t fit in solving
simple environmental problems like picking garbage from your beach!
Fortunate there is made
progress in how to address certain environmental issues but if there is no
workforce to implement or to control many is in vain.
To easy money is poured in
by NGO’s and international organizations where most off the time most off the
money does not reach the destination it should! In some cases it's even
questionable what the 'true' objectives of these organizations are! The
receiving side should take their responsibility too which unfortunate often not
happens!
If people off Hoi An (civilians
and government) think they can do the job than show you really have pride in
your country and make a difference what ever it takes.
I’m happy to join any
environmental activity organized by local people in Hoi An and looking forward
for you invitation!
Hans van der Broek
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| Green Apple Clean Sweep Cua Dai Beach, 23-02-13 |
David (2*), Phil, Ken, Mrs. Vy, Mrs. Linh, Ms Koda and Ms. Phuong, Nick and his son Andy.
Later will put more photo's from the Clean Sweep on our Flickr page! Thanks Linh for the photo's!
17-02-13 For all in Vietnam a happy and green 2013! Everywhere beautiful flowers are still on display and even the weather was extremely good during TET, the Vietnamese New Year! To make the start off the year off the snake even better Green Apple Hoi An organizes a Clean Sweep at Saturday the 23 off February at Cua Dai Beach. We start at 8 am from An Duc's Restaurant. It's close to the Zero Seamile bar. Welcome!
31-01-13
Beautiful weather the last days invites to make long walks at An Bang Beach! I really would like resort owners, local government and locals and expats to invite and talks about the enormous amount off Styrofoam on the beach! The beach still got promoted as one off the most beautiful beaches in the world but I doubt that being in more than 50 countries myself. I have to say behind the resorts and at An Bang the beach always gets cleaned but many seem to forget that tourists like to walk and get a total different impression getting out off this 'comfort zone'! In Danang they have a beach clean machine! Hey resorts in Hoi An maybe an idea to make an investment together with the local government! A beautiful present for TET and ehhh start using less or no Styrofoam at all anymore!
13-01-13
Yesterday we had a successful 'Clean Sweep' again on An Bang Beach. About 12 people showed up and we started again from the Banyan Restaurant & Bar! We collected about 29 cement bags with rubbish! Styrofoam was again the winner followed by shoes, straws, soup & milk and fast food packages. Ken is 'responsible' for the shoe collection! We will collect the shoes over a period off 6 month and make an artwork off it at An Bang Beach! Some off the participants made some photo's and as soon as I have them I will put them on the Green Apple Hoi An website. Thanks again all off you! Great job!
The next 'Clean Sweep' is at Cua Dai Beach on the 23 off February starting at 8 am from
Anh Duc's Restaurant!
30-12-12
Green Apple Hoi An wishes you all a beautiful 2013. Thanks to all the people who joined the Clean Sweeps and helped them to organize!
Hans van der Broek
19-12-12 Walking on An Bang Beach I was first astonished about the enormous amount of waste! Than suddenly I discovered 21 concrete poles on the beach! There are rumours about a boulevard or promenade on the north side off An Bang! Pitty, the last piece off public beach goes under construction!
14-12-12 I have been talking to a employer off the Vinci Construction Company who will build a waste water treatment system in Hoi An. This is a big company who is building big projects around the world. Vinci Construction The Vinci Company is already years busy to finish the Hoi An waste water project but till now there is no end in sight!
The waste water plant was first planned to be build in Cam Chau. For unclear reasons it will now built in Cam Thanh! A lot off paper work extra, a few kilometers more pipes! In meantime all waste water end up in the Thu Bon River, is not clear anymore where connections & pipes are and...? Hoi An, do you want your waste water plant or....?
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| Green Apple Hoi An stand! |
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| Information about solar energy and the environment! |
08-12-12 Tomorrow the big day! The Bazaar at the Green Sho0ts School in Hoi An. Green Apple Hoi An will have information about solar cookers, waste burners, solar panels plus installation, the environment in Hoi An and the Cua Dai Bridge Project! Please join! It starts at 2 pm and is finished at 8 pm.
Venue: Green Shoots Kindergarten, 4 Tran Quoc Toan, Hoi An.
08-12-12 The Typhoon Bopha is a really dangerous typhoon. It hit the Philippines a few days ago and than it was on it's way to Vietnam. Now it's again on it's way to the Philippines and than again in the direction of South Vietnam! Very sad for the people who are so badly effected again and again by storms!
The storm's high winds and torrential rain caused flash flooding in several provinces in the island of Mindanao in the southern Philippines. Compostela Valley and Davao Oriental in eastern Mindanao were particularly hard hit. The town of New Bataan in Compostela Valley has been obliterated by raging flood waters. Communications to many areas were cut as roads and bridges were destroyed. The death toll approaches 500 with some 170,000 displaced people.
29-11-12 have you seen it too yesterday? A shooting star around 7 pm from East to West! Bright white with a long tail!
27-11-12 Today it was extreme hot weather for the time off the year! 32 C inside and 45 C in the sun!
25-10-12 Sure you all have noticed that this year there was hardly any rain in rainy season in Central Vietnam. Storm and typhoons towards to Central Vietnam went north or south and got tropical depressions!
Around Hoi An farmers started plowing there rice files and some shrimp farmers start preparing their shrimp pond for an early new season! In my 12 years Vietnam I never experienced this kind off weather in September, October and November! What's next?
05-10-12 On the ninth off December Mr. Robert Kramreiter from Future Technology and I will participate on a event in the Green Shoots Compound on Cua Dai Street in Hoi An. The event will start at 2 pm till 8 pm. We will inform people about the environment in and around Hoi An, the Cua Dai Bridge Project and solar energy! We also will announce the next 'Clean Sweep'! Welcome!
27-10-12 A new Typhoon is on it's way to Vietnam. Son Thinh will have land fall in 24 hours close to Thanh Hoa. Today we can feel & see the influencese off the typhoon already! Stay safe!
26-10-12
After uploading the clip about the Cua Dai Bridge project I got an unexpected amount of replies! The major off the replies was from as well local Vietnamese and expats! All replies viewed a great involvement and concern in the environment in and around Hoi An. Like everywhere in the world the question we have to ask our self and all who are involved; do we take the right decisions for all for now and in the future? So that all can benefit in an equal way to join a friendly, healthy and balanced environment. An environment who supplies equal in our wishes and needs!
25-10-12
I placed some information on the Non profit page about the U-Cafe in Hoi An. This is a great initiative from Usuda Reiko, a Japanese native with extensive NGO experience.
Please read about the bio-filtering system for water disposal in the U-cafe!.
07-10-12
Tropical Storm GAEMI starts heaving it's influence on the weather in Hoi An. 12 Noon!
Weather 12 noon, Cam Chau, Hoi An, Vietnam
23-09-12
Beach clean-up
12-09-12
Vietnam responds to world clean-up campaign
(VOV) - A program entitled
“Our Place…Our Planet…Our Responsibility” will be launched in the
central city of Danang on September 15 in response to the campaign of
"Making the world cleaner 2012".
The program aims to raise individual responsibility for environmental protection and encourage people to take part in community activities. It is expected to attract the participation of local authorities, representatives from the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment and other relevant agencies, and foreign diplomats, as well as more than 1,500 public employees and residents of Danang.
On this occasion, a seminar on renewable energy, a painting exhibition on environmental pollution, a tree planting ceremony, a waste recycling competition and many other events will be held.
Initiated in 1993 by Australia, the "Making the world cleaner in 2012" Campaign has been launched globally by the United Nations in the third week of September, involving hundreds of millions people from more than 130 countries and territories around the world.
11-09-12
Ancient Hoi An organizes a car free day!
19-08-12 Hoi An is much cleaner now than a year ago! More waste bins are available and people are more aware off the impact off rubbish on the environment. Still a few waste hotspots need attention. One off them is at Tra Que on the south part close to the shrimp farms and white bridge.
19-08-12 Hoi An is much cleaner now than a year ago! More waste bins are available and people are more aware off the impact off rubbish on the environment. Still a few waste hotspots need attention. One off them is at Tra Que on the south part close to the shrimp farms and white bridge.
On daily bases bicycle tours pass this spot and it doesn't make a good impression. I'm shore nobody want this and soon the rubbish will be gone!
06-08-12 Since we cleaned the 'Forgotten Beach' we see every day a woman at around 6 am cleaning the shoreline! That's a really good thing! She pick's up all the dirt left behind by the people who dined the evening before on this nice stretch off beach!
We try to organize a last 'Clean Sweep' in September before rainy season!
This month also new our Green Apple Activities website. Click on: Green Apple Activities
22-07-12 I had dinner with my wife Linh in U Cafe along the Hoi An River. Japanese food and hospitality, We talked mainly about the environment and a few off the table guests where involved and worked with the Division of Natural Resources and Environment in Hoi An. They just organised a Clean Sweep close to the bus station in Hoi An.
I find out that there are 2 major new development projects scheduled in Cam Ha and An Bang Beach. Hoi An Indochina 5-star Resort will be built in Dien Ngoc Ward, Dien Ban District, Quang Nam province (close to An Bang beach). The project development will includes: • villas area • bungalow area • golf course : 18-hole • and the The Development of Cam Ha Tourism Area project includes: • resort area • restaurants, bar, coffee shop • entertainment area • elevators • traffic system • park area • related utilities Project estimated
A week ago I had a meeting with UNIDO and other people about Hoi An Eco town. Is there anybody who can explain to me what Eco means in this context?
The 11-07-12 I discovered that blogger is on line again in Vietnam. Thanks for this!
Yesterday I attended a meeting from the Hoi An City's People Committee and Unido. It was about green industry. Information about cases abroad like China, Philippines and Europe. Later it got more defined to Vietnam and of course Hoi An. Just very briefly, there is a long way to go! There are plans but in my opinion to many spread out over 20 years. We need action now and not only about greening our tourism and agricultural activities. We need to address the bigger issues like how to prevent more flooding, erosion along the coast, finishing the waste water treatment plant a.s.a.p. and slow down the flow off traffic in and around Hoi An!
02-07-12 The following blog story can not be read in Vietnam or at least not by the people off Vietnam. De Vietnamese Government has blocked all blogger sites and word press! We all seem to be criminals even if you want too clean the environment for free or like too help disabled children for free like many do, or like too teach children like many do for free! And many more! Instead off starting a dialogue with the people from Vietnam the government closes the communication door! We have seen recently what the result is in other countries! Open up there in the north! Where are you afraid off?
29-06-12 Living in Hoi An for 8 years I met many expats with trouble with noise pollution! Music at 5 am, loudspeakers blaring, techno 'music', dogs, karaoke, horns name it! I've been in 52 countries and I must say Vietnam is on top of off the list off noise! Read for example: noise pollution at your service
Thre is a lot off info to find on Google about noise pollution! If you have any example please send it to us. We will put it on Youtube!
29-06-12 The mails send with the new 'Clean Sweep' Clip attracted some attention. People around Tra Que, Hai Bai Trung and Cam Chau sent an E-mail. At the moment I'm talking with them about a new 'Clean Sweep' and other involvement in the Green Apple Hoi An.
The Clean Sweep in Cam Thanh will be in March 2013. It will be close to the new Home Stay build in that area!
Yesterday, while swimming at Cua Dai at around 6:30 am, we saw a woman cleaning The Forgotten Beach! Amazing, something is happening!
Thanks for watching the new Clean Sweep Clip!
12-06-12 It took a few days to make a Clip about the Clean Up on the 5th of June 2012. Click on clip below!
07-06-12 The amount off people for our second 'Clean Sweep' where not that large but the amount off rubbish collected was enormous! We got support from people of the Hoi An Beach Resort. Thanks for this! A Clip of the 'Clean Sweep' is almost finished!
The next 'Clean Sweep' will be in Cam Thanh.
Thanks to all the people who joined the 'Clean Sweep' on the 5th off June 2012.
28-05-12. On the 5th of June, Green Apple Hoi An will organise a 'Clean Sweep' this time on Cua Dai Beach, The Forgotten Beach.
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| Anh Duc Restaurant |
The Clean Sweep will be from 6:30 till 8:30.
Early? Yes you are right but it's pretty hot at the moment. The good thing, you can cool down in the sea during the Clean Sweep. Drinks and baguettes are supplied by Green Apple Hoi An!
World Environment Day (WED) is a day that stimulates
awareness of the environment and enhances political attention and public
action. It is on 5 June. It was the day that United Nations Conference on the Human Environment began.
The meeting point will be at the last (most northern ) restaurant on The Cua Dai strip. Close to Hong Restaurant. Because off the heat we like to start between 7 and 8 am. Cold drinks available! If you are interested, send an E-mail to: greenapplehoian@gmail.com
Thanks, Hans
Thanks, Hans
24-05-12 The builders started indeed on the 16th of May with building Green Apple Land. See photo!
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| Start of building Green Apple Land! |
02-05-12 Very busy in April! Linh my wife and I started with the negotiations with builders and designers to build 'Green Apple Land'. Around the 15th of may we will start building the first part! Next year solar panels and a special build Solar Heater will be installed which is much smaller than the ones you see today on roof tops!
During 2013 we will connect more equipment with our solar panels and some standard equipment will be rebuild to 'work' on solar power! We keep you informed!
Somewhere this month we will organise another Clean Sweep on An Bang Beach! Hans
On the 31 of March we had a Clean Sweep on An Bang Beach. After a quite start ore people showed up and with in 1 and half hour we collected 30 bags of rubbish! The Clean Sweep was a success buts it's also disappointing that it is possible to collect so much is such a short time.
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| The Clean Sweep. Photo made by Etienne from Hoi An Photo Tours. |
Many thanks to people from the Banyan Bar & Restaurant on An Bang Beach who supplied drinks and food after the Clean Sweep!
27-03-12 Been away for a while. The last week I have organised and had talks with people from the Banyan on An Bang Beach for the Clean Sweep on the 31 of March. By coincident the Banyan organises a day to pay attention about issues around An Bang. Nice to combine things and it looks there will be a lot off people to join this day.
To be clear Green Apple Hoi An has no part in the activities after 10 am on the 31 of March and is only on An Bang Beach for the Clean Sweep.
I want to thank special Mrs. Nguyet Thanh Vu for her help and the printing of the flyer's.
For now I hope for good weather and a fantastic day for all!
Hans van der Broek
15-03-12 I started making photo's from the last big trees which are decorating Hoi An. Most of them you will find in Hoang Dieu Street. Another 10 are shattered around town.
Next week I will put them on YOUTUBE!
13-03-12 Already 7 expats will join the 'Clean Sweep' on the 31 of March on An Bang Beach. One of them came with a new spot close to Hoi An where we will organise the second 'Clean Sweep'.
Randy (Randy's Book Xchange) sent me this link:bottle brighten millions-poor homes. It's a great idea and so simple!
I put a new clip on YOUTUBE: Another Brick in the Wall.
From tomorrow local bicycle rentals will be visited and mentioned on the 'Green Activities' page!
For people or businesses who want to join the Clean Sweep please mail to: Click here!
28-02-12 I red a blog from Anthony Stokes, the ambassador for the UK Reply Green Apple
In case it's not aloud by the moderator:
Your comment is awaiting moderation.
Dear Ambassador,
Thanks for your blog! Indeed there are some issues too address in beautiful Vietnam. Nice to read that Britain will cooperate in Vietnam’s Green Public Transportation. Strange also that often foreign investors – tourism – are involved in resort and other projects for which local people on a large scale are forced too move, dunes are destroyed, trees are cut etc. No waste water treatment plants are build because a lack of rules. Our Western moral often stops at the border. If we really want to help – in this case Vietnam – not only think about economical gain but do what you as investor would do in your own country! Take care the employees, pay honest salaries and say thank you that I can invest in Vietnam and build waste water plants at least too show respect to the local community where you build & invest!
25-02-12 An interesting article on Vietnamnet! It's about the coastal damage done along the south tip of Cua Dai Beach. Read:
Central coast-in-ruin! It supports the Green Apple Hoi An Clip: Is this what we want?
23-02-12 Today I got the new lay out from the Green Apple website. It's now more consistent with the flyer and name cards.
There a few new interesting links on the website! People who are interested in the weather(who isn't?)weather, surf at the beach and solar cooking will find the right attractive and tasty information! A few days to go and the info is 'life'!
21-02-12 A busy time the last 3 weeks. Packing, removal from the Lighthouse to our temporary house in Cam Chau.
Fortunate a good new environmental product build by Nick Shirra. See the Non Profit page where you can see a dryer working with solar energy to dry agricultural products.
03-02-12 TET is gone and life in Hoi An is going back to 'normal'! The website will be upgraded and will be more in 'sink' with the flyer and name cards.The new clip: http://www.youtube.com/watch?NR=1&feature=endscreen&v=m8xNRNN84o4
got some attention. I got some mail from people who found it incredible sad that this kind of developments got approved by the local government and designed by often foreign developers!
Also renewed with the World Bank about a new project to set up a Climate Information Centre in Vietnam.
I hope to organise this month the first Clean Sweep of 2012! First the move to our temporary house! Thanks for all the mail! Have a nice day!
And than it was suddenly the 21 of January. TET is around the corner and things really slowed down. I send an article to the Hoi An Live Magazine. I hope they found it in their mail box. For now, a happy TET and a green & clean 2012!
Hans
05-01-12, This year started good with interest from The Hoi An Live Magazine and contacts with a group of architects, designers and construction consultancy about an idea for a future eco village near Hoi An.
28-12-11, Everybody welcome on the Green Apple Hoi An site. We have 177 followers now on Twitter and now we got almost everyday mail from people who like to have more information or want to help with GA-Hoi An activities next year! Thanks for this! Hans
24-12-11, Green Apple Hoi An wish you all the best and green wishes for 2012!
21-12-11. For all who read this. I'm looking for people where ever on this planet who are organising the same activities like Green Apple Hoi An,Vietnam. Please reply to E-mail address above. Thanks!
18-12-11. I put an interesting article on 'Green Feed' about the Tam Dao Golf Course in Vinh Phuc Province. It would be interesting to know what the impact is on the environment of the golf courses in Hoi An & Danang. Anybody?
17-12-11. Yesterday I picked up the Green Apple Hoi An flyers. They looked good! I distributed already some to a few local businesses. There is a little inconsistency between the flyer the website and the name cards which will be solved in the next month!
Thanks for all the positive responses!
14-12-11. I discovered some more people and businesses who are interested in and already active with Green Activities.
I added some more Businesses to the Green Activities list: Goldon Turtle Swim Club, Green Mango Restaurant, Legend DVD-Shop and Metiseko Eco Chic Shop.
It's great that more and more people in Hoi An are interested in our environment. Tell others, let me know!
Victoria Heckstall wrote an article for Green Apple Hoi An. You can read the article on the Green Feed Page. Thanks!
Have a nice day!
07-12-11, Christmas is coming soon, new year and TET are on the horizon! Green Apple is busy making a new clip about the 6 lane road from Danang to Tam Ky. Not a lot of information is available but as it looks it will go partly through the beautiful Water Coconut Forrest at Cam Thanh, the rice field area close to the Cua Dai Bridge, close to Tra Que and all the way to Cam Ha!
27-11-11. It's already a month later and many things have happened. New contacts are made and I have an interesting organisation discovered at An Bang Beach: Eco Com. Some of their goals:
-To develop the career development plan for the people.
-To develop the specific embellishment activities including:
Planting trees, environmental sanitation.
-Support to implement the activities of micro-credit fund (Mrs.
Van’s team)
-Listen, collect people's opinions and respond to investors
and make "the civil campaign" for investors.
Click on the 'Green Photo's' link on the home page of the Green Apple Hoi An site and you will find photos from the first project of Eco Com to install big waste bins on An Bang Beach!
Thursday, 27th of October 2011. Today I made some photo's from solar powered warning- and traffic lights in Hoi An. Also some photos from ladies who collect our rubbish and people who sort out the rubbish and bring it to recycle 'factories'!
You can see the photo's by clicking on: Green Apple Hoi An Photo's
Green Apple Hoi An got also it's membership from Clean Up the world. An Australian based organisation. Read more on:
Clean up the world!
Monday, 24-10-11
Small developments during the last few days. I have been in contact with AMERIN, an Australian based organisation who advices companies & government(s) for sustainable improvements. Click on the link for their last Newsletter:
current corporate, social, and environmental sustainability improvement projects
Also contacted 'Clean Up' Australia for a partnership!
I added some beautiful photos' on Green Apple's Flickr page and added interesting info on the Green Feed Page.
For now it's waiting for the Green Apple Flyer with info, 'Stickers' and a Refill Spot 'Tap Hanger'!
Saturday, 15-10-11
It's amazing how quickly the Green Apple Hoi An Clips are noticed by others!
Ipolitics
Travel Hotel Tourism
Home made solar energy
Mobitech 8 Word Press
Tourism
Hoi An Mega Travel Guide
Twitter Cara Roy
WN. Com
Mmusicz
Mitra Sites
Senin icin videolar
Virtually north west.com
How to build Solar
Green business
Green Apple Clips are viewed in: Vietnam, Philippines, Australia, Netherlands, Germany, Malaysia, Thailand and Spain!
Today, 08-10-11 I had an interesting meeting with Mrs. Pham Kieu Oanh from the CSIP. The CSIP invests in social entrepreneurs, raise awareness, mobile resources and train and advice on social entrepreneurship development.
I'm looking forward to the invitation from the CSIP to tell more about Green Apple Hoi An, it's goals and to bring social awareness about environmental issues in Hoi An.
The Green Apple Hoi An is a social green platform for and with locals, expats and tourists!
More information about CSIP: CSIP
Hans
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| Life will be more beautiful if we recycle” – TV host and stylist Viet Nga
A few weeks more to go and the Green Apple Hoi An website will be ready! If you like the idea and want to be involved please read the 'About Us' and the 'Your Help chapter!
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A warm thank you to: Nick Keegan and Steve Harrison!
Hans van der Broek
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