Severe congestion occurs on the way to Lung Cu flag tower in Ha Giang on January 2.
Well known sites including the Nho Que River, the Lung Cu flag tower and Tham Ma slope were hit by severe overcrowding, leading to long queues and traffic congestion.
On January 2, Hoang Van Huy said he was shocked by the scale of congestion when bringing a tour group to the Lung Cu flag tower. Cars and motorbikes had to park at the foot of the hill, with visitors required to buy tickets for electric shuttle buses to reach the site.
Although many visitors had tickets, they still waited for up to an hour without boarding. Faced with the delay, Huy’s group chose to walk the 1,000 steps to the top of the flag tower.
Tham Ma slope is also crowded on January 2.
Expecting crowds to persist, his group arrived at the Nho Que River at 7 am on January 3 to take a boat trip. While access was smooth early in the morning, by 10 am the area was gridlocked.
Minh, a tour guide at the Nho Que River pier, said congestion began on January 2. Hundreds of tourists queued at ticket counters, often waiting more than an hour to buy tickets and then lining up again for a similar period to board boats.
Many visitors became tired and hungry after long waits and decided to leave without taking the river tour, he said.
Nguyen Phong Son, deputy executive director of the Tu San Agriculture and Tourism Cooperative, which operates tourist boats on the Nho Que River, said visitor numbers this year were up by about 15 to 20 per cent compared with previous holidays.
He attributed the surge to improved road access to the river and changes in management and traffic coordination that made travel easier for tourists.
During the four day new year holiday, peak visitor numbers at the Nho Que River pier fell on January 2 and 3, with daily arrivals averaging more than 5,000 people.
Son said existing infrastructure was not designed to handle thousands of visitors at the same time, leading to localised congestion. Operators have increased staffing at ticket counters and strengthened coordination of boats entering and leaving the pier to reduce waiting times.
At Lung Cu, visitor numbers have also surged in recent days. Local authorities said the area received more than 3,000 visitors a day, while more than 1,000 hotel rooms had been fully booked a month in advance. Some travellers without prior reservations were forced to move elsewhere to find accommodation.
On the morning of January 3, the Lung Cu cherry blossom festival was held for the first time, becoming a focal point of the limestone plateau. Areas around the Lung Cu flag tower and Lo Lo Chai Village were packed with tourists sightseeing and taking photographs.
