Beach control: Something that Vietnam does very very well

So not long ago I got "in trouble" with a Vietnamese user here that got upset with me because I am always pointing out the faults of this country. While I think that their reaction and telling me to get out of the country was a bit over the top, I also can kind of understand that I might be having too much negativity even though I really enjoy living here.

So I am going to focus today on something that I think that Vietnam does extremely well. I can't say that this is true for the entire country but it is true at the handful of beaches that I have been to in this country including the one that regularly go to that I can see from my balcony and rooftop on a daily basis.

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Da Nang beach, at least from the sky, has the look of a crazy busy beach, and many times of year it is exactly that. You can't have a beach right next to high-rise buildings and not expect a ton of people to be there.

This beach would be chaos if it wasn't for the very strict controls that they have there. You will frequently hear whistles being blown while you are down there as the security and lifeguards reprimand people for parking where they are not supposed to and when people try to swim outside of the carefully controlled and monitored areas.

I think it is a bit silly that we can't swim anywhere except these cordoned off areas but I am not a rule-breaker so I comply.

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There are a lot of rules here and they are posted at nearly every entry point to the beach. This is not just some sign for the sake of having a sign, these rules are enforced quite strictly except for one rule where they say "no sports!" and people play volleyball, throw frisbees, play that stupid game that looks like tennis but has no net, and kick a football around. The authorities don't try to stop this unless it starts to be a problem for the masses in attendance.

But one rule that I am extremely grateful that they DO have is that no "touts" or "sales" are allowed to take place on or near the beach. This means that you will never have a bunch of people coming up to you trying to sell you stuff while you are just chilling on the beach.

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I was visiting Thailand not that long ago in a place called Ao Nang and while I was on the beach in the shade of a palm tree talking to my friend and the people he knows there. While we were sat there our conversation or relaxation would be interrupted every 5 minutes or so by people walking up and down the beach selling just about everything you could imagine. I will admit at times that I actually did want the things they were selling but for the most part I had zero interest in buying another pair of sunglasses, a necklace, some meat on a stick, or god forbid, a timeshare.

They were relentless and there was a steady stream of these people all the way up and down the beach. Just for the hell of it, I took a little run down the beach, pretending that I was exercising and the touts would put their arms out trying to sell me stuff even though it seemed pretty evident to me that I was running. I guess it is all a game of numbers.

In Da Nang and the other beaches I have been to in Vietnam, this will NEVER happen because there are penalties for anyone that would try to do it. I have only ever once in many years seen someone on the beach that was trying to sell things and while he was making the rounds some uniformed guys blew a whistle, went and had a chat with him, probably threatened him with legal action if he doesn't stop, and then he promptly left. I have never seen that guy again.

I once heard a story from a friend who went for a vacation in Guatamala and they have this thing there where guitar players will come and start to sing songs next to you and will only leave if you give them money or are very rude to them. Can you see how this could be a problem?

I understand that the people that do this for a living are likely very poor and are just trying to make some money but honestly, their presence kind of ruins the whole relaxation experience.

If you find that you do want a drink or a snack while you are on the beach here, there are authorized shops all up and down the beach that you can go and get those things. If you just want to park your butt under a coconut tree and read a book though, you will be able to do this for hours on end without being disturbed.

For me, this is a very good policy and probably contributes to why it is that Da Nang is such a popular place to visit.

Well done Vietnam; you have identified something that is really annoying and made it so that doesn't happen. This is one of the only beaches in the world that I have ever been to that has this policy and I think it is a good one.