A series of beachfront villas in Ha Tinh province have collapsed.

Regarding the collapse of several villas after Typhoon No. 10, authorities have determined that the cause was the developer's failure to construct the seawall as permitted.

On January 26th, the leaders of the Ha Tinh Department of Construction announced that they had submitted a report to the Provincial People's Committee on the results of the assessment of the causes of the collapse and damage to numerous villas and construction items at the Xuan Thanh Service and Resort Area project, which were affected by Typhoon Bualoi (Typhoon No. 10) at the end of September 2025.

The embankment was constructed without a permit.

According to a report from the Department of Construction, the Xuan Thanh Service and Guesthouse project, invested by Hong Lam Xuan Thanh Joint Stock Company, is being implemented in the area of ​​Xuan Thanh commune and Co Dam commune, former Nghi Xuan district (now Tien Dien commune and Co Dam commune, Ha Tinh province).

The project is a Class III civil engineering project, with a construction scale encompassing hundreds of villas and townhouses, along with many supporting items such as seawalls, internal roads, water supply and drainage systems, swimming pools, and landscaping.

An aerial view of the project.

Authorities have determined that, between September 27-29, 2025, when Typhoon Bualoi made landfall in the coastal area of ​​Ha Tinh province, 23 beachfront villas were partially or severely damaged. In addition, several other structures such as seawalls, swimming pools, and fences were also seriously damaged.

Following the incident, authorities launched an investigation to determine the cause. According to the assessment, the seawall at the project was classified into three sections. Specifically, the section of the seawall licensed by the Department of Construction (section 40), measuring 428m in length and designed as a lotus leaf-shaped seawall using prestressed reinforced concrete, remains fundamentally stable.

However, the 850m long embankment, for which the Department of Construction issued Construction Permit No. 38, has not yet been constructed. Instead, the investor built another embankment, 884.09m long, without a permit, of which more than 832m has collapsed, accounting for 94% of its length.

The issue needs to be resolved within 6 months.

Regarding this incident, authorities have determined that the cause was due to both objective and subjective factors. Specifically, the objective cause was that during Typhoon Bualoi, the coastal area of ​​Ha Tinh recorded strong gusts of wind up to level 14, prolonged heavy rain, and waves reaching 7 meters high, coinciding with high tide. These harsh weather conditions caused large waves to damage the embankment, eroding the foundation and causing landslides behind it.

However, authorities emphasized that the main cause stemmed from subjective factors. Specifically, the investor did not construct the seawall according to the granted permit, but instead built a different seawall plan that had not been approved by the competent authority.

"Based on the inspection results and calculations by the inspection organization, the main cause of the collapse was that the embankment's design did not meet the load-bearing requirements. When there were strong waves and heavy rain, the sand and soil in front of the seawall were washed away. This, combined with the saturated sand and soil behind the embankment, led to landslides beneath the house foundations, causing structural damage and localized collapse of the houses...", the document stated.

Furthermore, the authorities concluded that the construction of the embankment did not fully comply with the design drawings and there were discrepancies between the construction drawings and the as-built drawings.

A series of villas collapsed due to Typhoon No. 10.

Regarding this incident, the Ha Tinh Department of Construction affirmed that the investor must bear primary responsibility for rectifying the consequences of the incident. The cause was determined to be the investor's failure to carry out construction according to the approved seawall plan, leading to the collapse and damage of the aforementioned structures.

"Therefore, the investor and the legal representative responsible for the construction phase of the seawall, which was not yet licensed, must bear full responsibility for rectifying the consequences of the incident," stated the assessment report of the incident investigation team under the Department of Construction.

In addition, design, verification, construction, and supervision consulting units must also bear joint responsibility according to the contract and legal regulations.

Based on the assessment results, the Department of Construction recommends that the People's Committee of Ha Tinh province direct the investor and relevant units to demolish damaged and collapsed structures that are beyond repair or restoration in order to ensure safety; the deadline for rectifying the consequences should not exceed 6 months.

In addition, the investor must rebuild the seawall according to a plan that ensures safety, quality, and compliance with construction laws and regulations; and protect the legitimate rights and interests of organizations and individuals who suffered property damage due to the incident.

Furthermore, after completing the required repairs, the investor is responsible for compiling and reporting the results to the Department of Construction for monitoring and management within its authority.

Source: https://znews.vn/loat-villa-ven-bien-ha-tinh-do-sap-post1623191.html