The most read Vietnamese newspaper
Edition: International | Vietnamese
© Copyright 1997 VnExpress.net. All rights reserved.
Centrica Hotel in Ha Long City of Quang Ninh Province reported on Friday that all guests had checked out.
The staff are now focused on reinforcing the infrastructure to prepare for the typhoon.
Tien Thanh, the hotel's representative, said approximately 60 guests who had booked rooms from September 6 to 8 canceled or postponed their check-in dates due to safety concerns. Some guests also checked out early on Friday morning to return home.
Hoang Thi Loan, a tour operator at Tam Nhin Travel Company in Hanoi, said the company had to cancel a tour for a group of tourists scheduled to stay at the Ha Long hotel this weekend. The hotel refunded their deposits and waived cancellation fees.
The National Center for Hydro-Meteorological Forecasting predicts that Yagi, with maximum wind speeds of 201 kph, will enter the Gulf of Tonkin on Friday night, bringing heavy rain and thunderstorms to the northern region. The storm is sent to make landfall in Quang Ninh and Hai Phong on Saturday.
Due to the impending storm, four airports - Noi Bai in Hanoi, Van Don in Quang Ninh, Cat Bi in Hai Phong, and Tho Xuan in Thanh Hoa will temporarily shut down on Saturday to ensure aviation safety.
The Civil Aviation Authority of Vietnam reported that around 240 domestic flights and 70 international flights will have to be canceled on Saturday as a result.
The airport closures have forced many tourist groups from the south to alter their plans.
Tran Thi Bao Thu, Marketing and Communications Director at Vietluxtour in Ho Chi Minh City, noted that this is nearly the peak tourism season in the north, so the number of visitors is relatively large.
The company has four groups scheduled to depart for northern destinations this weekend and is now working with guests to modify their itineraries to ensure safety, Thu said.
The Viet Media Travel Company has to delay a tour with 23 visitors from the south, who were scheduled to visit Hanoi, Sa Pa, Ninh Binh, and Ha Long from Sept. 7-11. The company is currently working with these customers to find alternative solutions.
Additionally, the company has two tour groups on the Hanoi-Ha Long-Cao Bang route, scheduled to arrive in Ha Long on Sept. 10. The company has proposed changing the tour, but since air tickets have already been issued, changing the itinerary may incur fees. However, most guests are optimistic that the storm will pass and the itinerary can proceed as planned.
Tran Anh Tu, a tourist from HCMC, said his family had booked a tour to Pu Luong in Thanh Hoa on Friday.
However, as Tho Xuan airport is closed, and the travel company has helped them postpone the trip by two months.
The third season of the VnExpress Marathon Ha Long, which had over 9,000 runners scheduled to participate on Sept. 8, has also been postponed due to the typhoon. The marathon will now take place on Sept. 22.
Nguyen Thien Dinh, a resident of HCMC who was set to participate in the race, had to cancel his return flights to and from Hai Phong, resulting in a loss of VND1 million.
The deposit for his hotel in Ha Long was refunded, but Dinh expressed disappointment that he could not arrange to participate in the rescheduled race on Sept. 22.
"Money isn't the main issue; I was really looking forward to experiencing the Ha Long route," he said.
Bang Phan, a bus company specializing in the Hanoi-Ha Giang route, reported that most customers have requested to cancel or reschedule their trips to Ha Giang this weekend. Other routes operated by the company, such as Hai Phong-Ha Giang and Nam Dinh-Ha Giang, have also seen cancelations, even though the weather in Ha Giang is currently favorable.
Hoang Phuong, the owner of a small travel agency in the mountainous Ha Giang, explained that tourists are cautious, fearing the typhoon could trigger landslides.
A representative from Interbusline, a bus company specializing in the Hanoi-Sa Pa route, said that 90% of customers have kept their departure schedule for the weekend. The weather in Sa Pa is sunny and pleasant, so customers are in good spirits.
"Only about 10% of customers requested to reschedule their tickets for next week to avoid any sudden rain," the bus company added.
On Thursday, cruise ship operators in Ha Long and Lan Ha Bays decided to cancel tours and refund deposits to tourists due to safety concerns.
VnExpress has launched the campaign "To Weather the Storm" to help communities recover and rebuild livelihoods after typhoon Yagi. Click here to lend your support.
