On the afternoon of November 21, the beach in Nha Trang Ward, Khanh Hoa Province, was strewn with waste carried down the Cai Nha Trang River before spilling into the sea. Each wave pushed the rubbish back ashore, stretching for around 5km from the southern side of Tran Phu Bridge.
The debris, estimated at several hundred tonnes, consisted mostly of water hyacinth, driftwood, packaging and plastic bottles.
Visitors walking along the beach found it covered in rubbish and fallen wood.
Hoang Duc, a resident of Nam Nha Trang Ward, said the beach often receives debris after floods, but this year’s prolonged and record-breaking rainfall brought far more than usual.
The Nha Trang Urban Environment Company said it had deployed workers across three shifts to clear the beach. However, continuous heavy rain meant newly collected waste was quickly replaced by more washing in. The company has increased staff and machinery on site to prevent accumulation that could cause pollution and spoil the city’s landscape.
In recent days, more than 50 wards and communes in Khanh Hoa have been severely flooded. According to the Khanh Hoa Meteorological and Hydrological Station, the province continued to experience moderate to heavy rain on November 21, with some areas expecting very heavy rainfall of 50-80mm, and coastal areas potentially exceeding 120mm.