Many visitors to Cat Ba Island have complained about illegal sand extraction at some of the most beautiful beaches in the area.
Visitors complain about sand exploitation at Cat Ba beach
A visitor from Hanoi, Tran Thanh Ngoc, 38, said that she felt very scared swimming at Cat Co 1 Beach during the May Day Holiday when a large ship was dredging up sand nearby.
"Myself and many other visitors on the beach felt that this activity was very dangerous to us," Ngoc said. "A long big tube was used to take sand from the sea bed to the ship which ran really close to us."
The tourist said that she was very annoyed that this had occurred on one of the most popular beaches on Cat Ba.
“They operated day and night and have destroyed the beach and contaminated the water," she said. "This badly affected our holiday."
Speaking to the VietNamNet Newspaper, chairman of Cat Hai District People's Committee, Bui Tuan Manh said that they were taking sand from the sea to build a beach volleyball court. However, the official refused to give a comment when being asked about the legal basis for extracting the sand at a beach.
Meanwhile, another leader of Cat Hai District admitted that the activity was illegal but they just wanted to support the coming women's volleyball tournament in the area.
