Ten years ago, locals in Tam Hai 2 hamlet in Ky Ninh commune had to spend about 30 minutes to get to the coast.  But now it takes only minutes.

This is because the protective forests, which separated the sea and residential quarters, have been eliminated. Climate change and sea water encroachment have cleared the 100 hectares of forests.

There is no breakwater system in Ky Ninh area, so in typhoon season, when sea waves rise, tens of meters of forestland turn into water.

Pointing to casuarina roots hit by sea waves, Dang Duy Khuyen, deputy head of the Ky Ninh commune’s police, said that 10 to 20 year old trees in a green casuarina forest had been wiped out.

The typhoon in October 2017 alone eliminated all the remaining forestland. Locals had to leave their homes for settlement in other areas. 

“I am afraid that the village would disappear one day,” Khuyen said, adding that those who stay have to live in constant anxiety of being swept away.

The invasion by sea is a big concern of not only residents of Tam Hai hamlet, but also of all coastal hamlets of Ky Ninh commune.

Le Dinh Tuan from Ban Hai hamlet said his family has to evacuate when the typhoon season comes. 

“When sea water rises, houses and agricultural land will be swept away, while water sources will become salty,” he complained. “We earn our living by fishing, so the life is hard.”

The Border Checkpoint Station of Ky Ninh border gate is located near the coast. An officer said the station has been relocated four times because of the sea water encroachment. Ships and boats at sea are often stranded and big ships have to anchor a few kilometers from the coast, while seafood is brought ashore by small boats.

Major Phung Trung Duc of Ky Ninh Border Checkpoint Station said the problem has become especially serious in the last five years. In some areas, the sea entered 200 meters into the mainland.

To save the villages and houses, people tried to replant the casuarina forests to prevent erosion. However, the young trees fell down after typhoons came.

Chair of Ky Ninh commune Le Cong Duong said locals want to have a dyke system to protect residential quarters. To date, only one third of the system has been built because of a lack of money.

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