Tourism disrupted after deadly typhoon Yagi

On learning that Sa Pa had temporarily suspended all tourism activities starting Sunday, Thu Huong of Nam Dinh Province, 380 km away, contacted her travel agency to reschedule her booking for early October.

September is the peak of the northern tourist season, with the weathering cooling down and the stunning natural scenery being at its best.

Mountainous regions like Sa Pa and Yen Bai showcase their golden rice fields, popular beach destinations like Ha Long Bay and Lan Ha Bay are favored by both domestic and foreign tourists for their clear air and scenic beauty.

But the devastation caused as the typhoon raged for 15 hours after making landfall has been immense.

The mountainous provinces are grappling with the aftermath of heavy rains, flash floods and landslides that have killed at least 87 people and left 70 others missing as of Tuesday afternoon.

Provinces like Ha Giang and Dien Bien have advised people to avoid traveling until the situation stabilizes.

Pham Anh Vu, deputy general director of Viet Travel Company, said this was the first time a natural disaster had affected so many localities.

"This has made it difficult to arrange schedules for large groups of tourists.

"The company has canceled most of its tours to northern destinations."

Its partners in Ha Long and Co To of Quang Ninh Province are working on repairing infrastructure, cleaning up debris and restoring hotel facilities, and this could take several days, he said.

Most tours to these destinations have been canceled or postponed. Groups scheduled to depart between Sept. 13 and 20 are waiting for updates from the company.

Landslide at the foot of a glass bridge from Lao Cai to Lai Chau in northern Vietnam on Sept. 9, 2024. Photo by Quang Hao

Visits to northern provinces account for nearly 40% of its domestic bookings, Vu added.

Dinh Thi Thu Thao, sales director of Mustgo, an online booking platform that partners with over 2,000 hotels across the country, said accommodation providers in the northern mountainous region have seen a large number of cancelations.

Mustgo has suspended bookings to typhoon-affected areas, and all reservations for this week have been canceled or postponed until roads are cleared and hotel repairs are completed, she said.

"About 80% of bookings in the northern region have been canceled or rescheduled."

Nguyen Thuan, a freelance tour guide in Ha Giang, said landslides caused by the typhoon have severely damaged roads leading to the Nho Que River and several other tourist attractions, and he would only accept guests once the weather improves and traffic is fully restored.

Nguyen Quang Huy, owner of the 20-room Anio Ha Giang Hotel, said guests who booked rooms for Sept. 9-15 have all canceled their reservations.

Lai Quoc Tinh, chairman of the Ha Giang Tourism Association, said the province has issued flash-flood and landslide warnings in several communes and districts since Sunday.