On March 5, the Department of Agriculture and Environment of Gia Lai province said that the Sub-Department of Environmental Protection had reported on the phenomenon of red seawater, appearing along the coast of Thien Chanh village, Hoai Nhon Bac ward.
Previously, on February 26, the Sub-Department of Environmental Protection coordinated with the Sub-Department of Fisheries and the Center for Natural Resources and Environmental Monitoring to conduct surveys and take water samples in the area where the above phenomenon occurred.
At the time of the survey, light red seawater appeared stretching about 1.5km along the shore. This area previously had a section of embankment belonging to the Tam Quan coastal erosion prevention embankment project invested by the People's Committee of Hoai Nhon town (former Binh Dinh province), put into use at the end of 2016.
According to functional sectors, due to the impact of storms in 2016, 2018 and especially storm No. 13 in November 2025, the embankment section in the survey area was swept away by high tide. The red soil used to build the roadbed was also swept out to sea and is currently located along the water's edge.
The analysis results of 2 coastal seawater samples (1 sample in the red area and 1 sample in the normal area) showed that environmental indicators were within the permissible limits for aquaculture, aquatic conservation and beaches, and water sports.
Sampling results also recorded the appearance of some algae species such as Spirulina sp, Coscinodiscus sp and Leptocylindrus sp. However, the algae density is low, not sufficient to erupt into the phenomenon of algae blooming, also known as "red tide".
From the results of surveys and analyses, specialized agencies determined that the phenomenon of seawater turning red in the above area has not detected flower algae. Currently, seawater has returned to normal state.
As Lao Dong newspaper reported, social network Facebook spread information about the phenomenon believed to be "red tide" appearing at Thien Chanh village beach, attracting public attention.
The information was posted on the Fanpage of Hoai Nhon Bac Ward Information with the content: "Red tide, also known as algae blooming, appears at Thien Chanh beach". Before this phenomenon, many people expressed concern about the risk of affecting the marine environment and livelihoods of local fishermen.
Records in the coastal area of Thien Chanh village show a strip of reddish-brown water about 20-30m wide, stretching for kilometers along the shore. This strip of color is clearly contrasting with the blue color of the seawater and can be observed with the naked eye.
