Ngo Hoai Nam, chairman of the Rang Dong Commune People's Committee, told Dantri that the local administration had reported the damage to provincial authorities and proposed measures to repair the seawall.
The damage began before the current two-tier local government system took effect and has worsened after years without repairs, Nam said.
A Dantri reporter visiting the site on August 28 found large sections of the roughly two-kilometre seawall broken apart, with concrete blocks, bricks and other debris scattered along the shoreline. Rubbish and dead tree trunks were also strewn across the area.
The seawall, which cost more than VND 100 billion to build, has been severely deformed by erosion. The beach has also deteriorated to the point that the once-popular ecotourism site has largely stopped attracting visitors for swimming and sightseeing.
Some visitors turned back after seeing the condition of the beach, while local residents had set up makeshift stalls selling drinks to occasional visitors.
Dinh Minh, a visitor from Hanoi, said his family had travelled to the area looking for a beach near the capital but decided to leave after finding that swimming was no longer practical.
"We came all this way but there was no beach to swim at, so we had a drink and moved on somewhere else. It is a shame to see what was once a beautiful coastal tourism site in this condition," Minh said.
Local authorities have proposed upgrading the seawall as part of Rang Dong's disaster prevention programme for 2026-2030, with estimated investment of VND 500 billion from the state budget and other sources.
According to the commune, the cost was beyond its financial capacity and has sought support from the Ninh Binh Department of Agriculture and Environment for the project.
The seawall was originally developed by the People's Committee of Nghia Hung District in the former Nam Dinh Province at a cost of more than VND 100 billion. Completed in 2014, it was designed to protect the coastline from waves and support local tourism development.
The structure began showing serious damage in 2018, when waves broke sections of the seawall and created deep cavities. With no major repairs carried out, erosion continued to spread in subsequent years.
Storms in 2025 caused further damage, while erosion has since extended beyond the seawall into pedestrian areas and nearby roads.