Cat Ba tourism paralyzed amid typhoon Yagi cleanup

Many suffered severe damage in the storm but some accommodation providers announced Tuesday that they would reopen to tourists though the situation remains "chaotic."

Kieu Thi Ngan, the manager of Thu Ha Hotel, said her establishment has only repaired 20% of the damage but has partially reopened.

Labor and material costs have surged by 70-100% amid a big shortage of repair workers.

Ngan said: "Many businesses are prioritizing essential repairs first. The costs have escalated, making it difficult."

Most of her September guests had canceled their bookings, and only a few individual bookings remain for next month, she said.

Many other accommodation providers are facing similar challenges, and have said they will not accept guests until the end of this month.

A damaged hotel room on Cat Ba Island is yet to be repaired. Photo courtesy of Kieu Thi Ngan

Nguyen Thanh Trung, director of Aroma Tourism Company, which owns two hotels with 48 rooms on the island, estimated repairs would cost several hundred million dong (VND100 million = US$4,040).

His company is currently repairing glass doors and elevators and hopes to reopen the hotels by the end of this month if repairs proceed apace.

Flamingo Cat Ba, with more than 1,000 rooms, has been closed since Sept. 11. A spokesperson said progress of the repair depends on the availability of materials.

"We want to ensure the safety of our guests, so we need to complete all repairs before reopening."

But the repairs are expected to be completed before the start of the international tourism season in October.

Trade workers are scarce on the island where most people work in tourism or do aquaculture or fishing, and so many businesses are using their own staff to help with repairs.

Bringing workers and materials from the mainland is expensive due to the high transport costs, especially since Hai Phong too was badly affected by the typhoon.

Yagi made landfall over the Quang Ninh - Hai Phong area on Sept. 7 with winds reaching 149 kph, leaving Cat Ba in ruins with most hotels and resorts severely damaged.

Cat Ba tourist island is left in unprecedented ruins following typhoon Yagi, September 2024. Photo by VnExpress/Le Tan

Leading cruise tour operator Lux Group, which operates a four-day tour with a stop on the island, has temporarily removed it from its itinerary.

A representative of the Cat Hai District People's Committee said the damage is "extensive" and local authorities are racing against time to restore normalcy.

The district is focusing on cleaning up and restoring electricity and telecommunications systems.

Nguyen Van Cang, deputy director of the Thanh Cong Cat Ba Tourism Company, which offers land tours on the island, said visitors have "almost nothing to experience" now.

Tour services have been canceled until the end of this month, and the outlook for October is "still uncertain."

Pham Ha, CEO of Lux Group, described the island as "desolate, chaotic and polluted."

He emphasized that Cat Ba needs to complete its restoration soon so that travel agencies could confidently bring tourists back.