An Bàng beach area in Cẩm An Ward of Hội An city is constantly being eroded. — VNA/VNS Photo

QUẢNG NAM — A project to fight erosion and sustainably protect Hội An’s coastline was officially launched on Wednesday in Hội An City of Quảng Nam Province.

The project, funded by the French Development Agency (AFD) and the European Union (EU), has a total investment of 42 million euros, (nearly VNĐ1 trillion), including an AFD loan of more than 35 million euros, a non-refundable grant of over two million euros from the WARM fund, authorised by the EU, and over five million euros (VNĐ127 billion) in matched funding from the provincial budget.

The project, which is being carried out until the end of 2026, includes the construction of a submerged breakwater located about 250m offshore, with a total length of 2,160m, and the building of groynes with a total length of 1,750m, using dredged sand to protect the beaches.

Once completed, the project will help protect land, homes, assets and lives, as well as tourism infrastructure across an area of approximately 3.2 sq.km, benefiting more than 1,300 households in Cửa Đại Ward and surrounding areas, particularly in coastal regions.

Additionally, it will support local socio-economic stability and development, especially in Hội An’s tourism sector and Quảng Nam Province as a whole.

Director of the Quảng Nam Provincial Project Management Board for Investment and Construction, Võ Văn Điềm, said that due to the urgent need to protect Hội An’s coastline from increasingly severe land encroachment, the province has implemented several structural measures to mitigate erosion, which have begun to show effectiveness.

However, due to financial constraints, only approximately 2.3km of the more than 6km of coastline in need of protection has been addressed.

Therefore, the project is expected to contribute to ensuring the future development of Hội An’s coastal areas through comprehensive solutions that adhere to integrated coastal zone management principles.

The project is expected to play a key role in ensuring the safety of local residents, and promoting economic activities, particularly in tourism. It will also create job opportunities and enhance the resilience of the local population against climate change impacts, he said.

Director of AFD in Việt Nam, Hervé Conan, expressed his hope that the project’s implementation and operation will contribute to reducing coastal erosion, ensuring public safety and promoting economic activities, particularly in tourism.

The project is also expected to create job opportunities, strengthen the resilience of local communities to climate change and drive socio-economic development in the region.

The vice chairman of the Quảng Nam Provincial People's Committee, Hồ Quang Bửu, emphasised that the project is a key initiative with special significance, playing a crucial role and complying with integrated coastal zone management principles.

He urged the project’s investors to focus resources on ensuring quality and timely implementation as committed while adhering to legal regulations on planning, land use, investment, construction and environmental protection.

Consulting units and contractors must strictly comply with construction standards and regulations, ensuring the quality, safety and environmental sanitation of the project. They must also prevent construction activities from negatively impacting the lives, production and daily activities of local residents in the project area. — VNS