The serious erosion in Phu Vang District (Photo by Vi Thao)

According to residents, the sea level is increasing, encroaching inland by an average of 5-10 metres annually. Violent waves have uprooted many casuarina trees in the commune's protective forest.

The beach area in Vinh Thanh has been renovated, but some sections of the coastline still face erosion.

The same situation is seen along the coastline in Phu Dien, Phu Hai, and Phu Thuan communes in Phu Vang District. Around 860 households with 4,087 people in Phu Thuan, are at high risk of losing their homes due to erosion.

A dyke is being built for erosion prevention in Phu Vang (photo by Vi Thao)

Phu Thuan has invested VND350 billion (USD14 million) in dyke construction to help mitigate erosion.

Dang Van Hoa, office manager of the Steering Committee for Natural Disaster Prevention and Search and Rescue in Thua Thien-Hue Province, said that around 138,000 people in Hue live along the coastal dunes.

The province's coastlines see erosion and encroachment of 5-7 metres yearly, with some areas eroding as much as 10-15 metres. Approximately 14.5 kilometres of the locality's total 127-kilometre coastline are hit by erosion. Phu Vang, Phong Dien, Quang Dien, Phu Loc, and Hue City have been the most affected.

Since 2014, the province has poured VND1 trillion into building sea dykes.