Hai Tien Beach

The beach at Hải Tiến runs for almost 12 kilometers. The sand is white and fine, and the slope down to the water is gentle. The sea is clear and green, with no reef of hidden rocks and only moderate waves. The shore still keeps much of its natural look, and the salt wind that blows in off the water feels cool.

This stretch of coast lies in two communes, Hoằng Tiến and Hoằng Thanh. Both are in the Hoằng Hóa area. It is about 165 kilometers from Hanoi and about 20 kilometers from the center of Thanh Hóa city. That moderate distance, together with the long sand, is why Hải Tiến draws visitors from all over northern Vietnam each summer. It is one of the most popular seaside choices for short trips from Hanoi and the northern provinces.

Swimming is only part of Hải Tiến. Early in the morning it shows another side, the fishing village of Hải Tiến in Hoằng Thanh commune. The village is tied to boats, to catching seafood, to making salt, and to fish markets that open at first light. Villagers haul in nets and rake up clams, and that is how people earn a living on this coast. At sunrise the village is lively. Boats come home with full holds, and people call to one another across the wet sand.

Hải Tiến also belongs to the cultural world of Hoằng Hóa, and several places nearby are easy to add to a visit. One is the Hòn Bò spiritual and cultural site at Lạch Trường. Another is the temple to Tô Hiến Thành. Others are Hồi Long Pagoda and Bảng Môn Đình. There is also a monument to the elderly militia of Hoằng Trường. Half a day more here adds to the story of the land and people of Hoằng Hóa, and ties the blue sea to a long history.

This sea has its own stories too. In 2025, the fifth and tenth storms of the year caused serious erosion along the seawall at Hải Tiến, especially the stretch through Hoằng Thanh commune. In January 2026, the chairman of the Thanh Hóa provincial People's Committee declared an emergency over the failure of the seawall there. The committee is the provincial government. The sea is gentle in the summer sun, but it has also been a sea in anger, and the people along the shore have lived with both faces for generations.

In summer, Hải Tiến is crowded and lively. Yet what stays in memory is the early work of the fishing village, the smell of sea salt, the sound of the waves, and the everyday pictures of the Hoằng Hóa people who have stayed close to this sea.