Vacationers crowd national hotspots
12/05/2014 02:16
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"On May 1 there were 50,000 – 60,000 people coming to the city," Tran Van Truong, director of the city board that manages tourist spots, was quoted as saying by Tuoi Tre (Youth) newspaper.
Con Dao island has seen over 1,000 visitors and many others had to change their destination because airlines and ships to the island were full.
At least 68,000 people are visiting Phan Thiet and popular tourist spots near the town like Ham Tien – Mui Ne, Hon Rom, and Doi Duong, 13 per cent higher than a year ago.
"Most of them are Vietnamese and have come with tourism companies," a spokesperson for the Binh Thuan Province Culture, Sports and Tourism Department said.
Tran Phu Street and ports in the holiday city of Nha Trang were gridlocked on May 1 to the influx of visitors. Hundreds of cars had lined up for 3km on Tran Phu near Ben Da Port. Traffic policemen were on the roads from morning to night but could do little to ease the situation.
The overcrowding was also visible elsewhere in the central city. Visitors were tired of waiting to board Vinpearl's cable car.
"My family waited until afternoon to go to Vinpearl hoping there would be fewer people then, but we had to wait for more than 20 minutes for the cable car," Nguyen Thi Ngoc Thu, a visitor from Da Nang, said.
Tourists also flocked to Da Nang, with hotels from three-star upwards reportedly running at 100 per cent capacity.
"Too many tourists have come to the old citadel of Hue," Le Ngoc Sanh, deputy head of Thua Thien Hue Province Culture, Sports and Tourism Department's Tourism Division, said.
While the city only has 7,000 hotel rooms, 17,500 visitors have arrived, 20 per cent higher than last year.
In Thuan An and Lang Co beaches, no rooms are available without prior booking.
The relic sites have been attracting 39,000 people every day.
Around 11,000 visitors, or triple the normal number, have come to Phong Nha cave in the central province of Quang Binh. Another 5,000 visited tourism places in the vicinity of the cave.
In HCM City, the number of travellers going by ferry at Binh Khanh and Cat Lai was significantly higher than normal. More than 30,000 people went to the Mekong Delta by bus on May 1 alone.
April 30 and May 1 are holidays for National Liberation Day and International Labour Day, and many organisations have given their staff Friday off after they worked the previous Saturday.
Source: VNS
