According to To Ngoc Lien, Chairman of the Sapa Ward People’s Committee, visitors to Sapa have risen sharply in recent years, while transport infrastructure has failed to keep pace. Sapa's biggest bottleneck remains traffic congestion in its centre.
Tourists and residents travelling from Sapa to destinations such as Cau May, Ta Van, Ban Ho Village or Nam must all go through the ward centre, where most restaurants, hotels and guesthouses are located.
Sapa Ward in Lao Cai (Photo by Toan Vu)
Sapa welcomed 450,000 tourists in 2010, but the figure climbed to nearly 5 million by 2024. During this year’s four-day National Day holiday, Sapa served 100,000 visitors, including 6,930 foreigners.
With narrow roads, Sapa’s central area frequently faces congestion during weekends and public holidays. Therefore, local authorities regard the resolution of traffic jams as a top priority.
Lien said that after considering options such as a bypass, viaduct or tunnel, the most effective solution to ease congestion while minimising impacts on architecture and the natural landscape is building a new road linking National Highway 4D to Sapa's centre. The route, about 10 kilometres long with a one-kilometre tunnel through Ham Rong Mountain, will run past the stadium before connecting with Road 152 towards Ta Van, Ban Ho Village and Muong Bo.
The project would resolve long-standing traffic jams and secure seamless connectivity, while opening up Sapa's centre for cultural events, tourism activities and the expansion of pedestrian zones.
