Landslides damage Hai Van Pass in wake of Storm Son Ca

Stretching 20 kilometers long, Hai Van Pass is the natural border between Thua Thien-Hue Province and Da Nang.

Due to impacts of Storm Son Ca, Da Nang received up to 730 millimeters of rain while Thua Thien-Hue got 650 millimeters from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. on Oct. 14, resulting in landslides along the pass, a beloved spot for adventure lovers.

Deo Ca Traffic Infrastructure Investment JSC that operates both the road along Hai Van Pass and the tunnel through it, has joined units under the Ministry of Transport’s Department for Roads of Vietnam to clean up the route but due to the large volume of soil and rock, some areas have yet to be cleared.

Vo Ngoc Trung, deputy director of Deo Ca Traffic Infrastructure Investment, said work has only stopped at clearing the rock and soil from the surface, while both sides are still messy.

A section of the pass was badly destroyed by landslides.

A broken electricity pole on the pass.

A motorbike and a petrol tank move past a section damaged by landslides.

Two areas that suffered from landslides along the pass in Da Nang.

In this area, cleanup work is still underway and vehicles can only move in one direction.

Three weeks since the storm, landslides remain a threat along the pass, threatening commuter safety.

Due to landslides, water has streamed onto the pass.

Rocks are put into a metal basket and used to prevent further landslides.

Though the landslide risk has yet to be addressed, Hai Van Pass still attracts many visitors, including foreign tourists.