There is a fine line between having enough buildings to accommodate the tourists near or on the beach, and then overcrowding with those same buildings. Da Nang has allowed what I consider to be a crazy amount of construction at or near the beach and we have already passed the point of having "enough."
Recently, I was walking in the morning and notice that a very large portion of beachfront land was being razed and a big concrete building that has been there since I first moved here, was being removed.
For the most part, Da Nang doesn't appear to allow building on the "other side of the street" along the beach, but at a certain point on the beachfront they did allow it and almost all of those buildings are just eyesores. This one that was torn down revealed an area that actually could be extremely lovely if they were not to just tear this one down, but all the rest of them as well. They could have a majestic park here instead, but I think we all know that isn't going to happen because people love money!
In the next few pictures you will see the other buildings that are around this one and how they are just typical two-story cement structures that are really uninspired and whose sole purpose is to pack as many customers as possible into a place and sell them overpriced seafood which I guess is very typical for places like this.
The stripping out of this one property has kind of revealed to us all how shoddy the construction actually is and how little thought is put into these buildings. The painted front on "Top Sailing Bar" is gaudy as hell and just ugly. The fact that there is no sailing that actually takes place in Da Nang due to the near complete lack of offshore winds, doesn't really seem to matter because it was never about being authentic, it was about having a place where they can charge your 4 times as much as it is worth for a beer - probably Corona.
The buildings that remain on both sides of the one they just tore down are just as much of an eyesore as the one that was just torn down and I noticed when I was there that it would be so much nicer if they were to simply raze all of them and replace them with grass.
There is a large piece of land across the street that isn't even being used at all, it would be wonderful if they would relocate them to there - but of course I know that they wont.
I am not hopeful that they are going to do something lovely here in the now empty space. I am sure they will just build something equally as ugly as what was there before.
In the meantime it is kind of nice to be down there and have this open space with a nice view of the sea. Too bad it isn't going to last.
The demolition is a good move to give the place a natural look and healing from those eyesores, but the question is how long it will last. Maybe next month, new monstrosities will rise in the area, and it's more horrifying. It's saddening that some people don't appreciate natural things, possibly because they need money more than beautifying the place, since these areas are being used for commercial purposes. But can't we just balance everything?
I remember our former president here in the Philippines, in 2018, ordered the closure and demolition of seaside commercial structures in a well-known island in Aklan called Boracay. He targeted those establishments that were within the island's 30-meter easement rule - that is, the distance from the shoreline where construction is allowed. It took power and political will for him to do that since the affected individuals were powerful businessmen. I hope leaders will also care about the environment. 💚
I am quite certain that these buildings will be built back even larger than before. Lately the beach has gone kind of corporate in that the spots that are opening up are nicer establishments that none of the locals ever go to because we know they are overpriced. This is a global phenomenon I know, but it is irritating because not only is it ugly, but now the small guys get kicked out so that massive corporations can take over. I would imagine a McDonalds is on the way soon and the sad thing is, it would likely work very well.
There should only be temporary structures on the beach and you wonder who gives these idiots planning permission to build here. I guess corrupt officials are involved in the process somewhere and you are right the beach looks far more appealing with nothing there.
well one thing that is fun for us during a particularly violent typhoon season...we know exactly who is going to get damaged the most.
Indeed, there’s a delicate balance between having enough buildings to serve tourists on or near the beach and avoiding excessive overcrowding that turns the place into a visual and environmental nightmare.
just open sand would be perfect in my mind.
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⋆ ғᴏʟʟᴏᴡ ᴛʜᴇ ᴀsᴇᴀɴ ʜɪᴠᴇ ᴄᴏᴍᴍᴜɴɪᴛʏ ᴠᴏᴛɪɴɢ ᴛʀᴀɪʟ
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