In the past few days, several tour groups departing from HCMC and other southern provinces have embarked on trips to explore the northern region. Lao Cai Province, one of the areas severely affected by Typhoon No.3, has reported receiving 400 domestic and international tourists arriving by train. This is positive news, indicating the recovery efforts of destinations after the storm and floods.
Mai Ngoc Thy, a tourist from HCMC currently sightseeing the Northwest, shared that her itinerary was carefully surveyed by the travel agency, choosing safe destinations and the most beautiful routes for tourists to experience. Similarly, Mai Phuong, a Vietnamese-American visiting Sapa (Lao Cai), said she was impressed by the rapid recovery efforts and the hospitality and optimism of the local people. Traveling to Sapa is also a good way to support the local people in returning to normal life soon.
Vietravel Co. said that the company has gradually taken tour groups to visit provinces in the northern region, focusing on Hanoi and some provinces in the Red River Delta. Vietnam Tourism Media JSC. informed that tours departing from HCMC to provinces in the Northeastern and Northwestern regions are still being organized by this enterprise regularly. Thanks to the support from local authorities, tour prices are stable, and service quality is ensured to stimulate tourism after the storm and floods.
General Director Tran The Dung of Vietluxtour Travel also shared that his company will start welcoming international tour groups in November. Currently, the supply chain in some northern provinces is facing difficulties in terms of products due to the recent storm and floods. Restoring these supply chains will take time to recover services and meet the conditions for providing good and safe services to tourists as before.
In the northern region, nearly half a month after Typhoon No. 3, many localities such as Hanoi and Quang Ninh Province have quickly cleaned up streets, collected fallen trees and garbage, and restored landscapes. Some tourist centers in the northern mountainous region such as Sapa in Lao Cai Province and Ha Giang City in Ha Giang Province have welcomed back visitors, although road traffic is still difficult due to the consequences of landslides and floods.
The main roads to Sapa have been cleared, ensuring smoother traffic. On the first day of reopening, hundreds of domestic and international tourists visited and experienced May Village and the spiritual complex there as well as Fansipan peak. Other destinations such as Silver Waterfall, Ta Phin Stone Garden, Green Valley, Dreamy Rose Garden, Golden Stream - Love Waterfall, Ham Rong have gradually opened to welcome visitors.
October is the peak season for welcoming international visitors. Localities are busy cleaning up fallen trees, restoring landscapes, and dealing with flooding to welcome guests.
In Quang Ninh Province, the authorities are reinforcing damaged structures. Many tourist sites, piers, and coastal areas have also been cleaned up quickly. Famous resorts such as Oakwood Ha Long and Yoko Onsen Quang Hanh have completed repairs, restored service quality and landscapes, and are ready to welcome guests in September. In addition, Ha Long International Passenger Port and Van Don International Airport have also reopened.
According to the Ha Long Bay Management Board, the unit has collected dozens of bamboo rafts and hundreds of cubic meters of various types of waste such as branches, leaves, and household waste from aquaculture rafts belonging to Van Don, Cam Pha, Ha Long, and Quang Yen districts that were damaged by the storm.
For Cat Ba Island in Hai Phong City, the storm swept through, leaving the place devastated. Many large accommodations have yet to be repaired and restored. Some accommodations on Cat Ba Island announced reopening from September 17 but are still in disarray. Repairs are also difficult due to the increased cost of labor and materials, and there is a severe shortage of repair workers despite hiring additional workers from the mainland.
Many accommodations have canceled bookings for September and only have a few individual guests in October. However, the reopening of the Cat Hai - Phu Long cable car line is also considered a positive sign of recovery.
Pham Hai Quynh, Director of the Asia Tourism Development Institute, believes that to quickly recover tourism in localities severely affected by the storm, the tourism industry needs to cooperate closely with the government, local organizations, and businesses to establish a recovery plan, build attractive tourism programs, improve service quality, and ensure the safety of tourists.
