From September to November every year, Ha Giang is as beautiful as a painting of the Northwest highlands, attracting a large number of domestic and foreign tourists to explore. However, bad weather conditions and potential dangers have significantly reduced the number of tourists coming to Ha Giang to "hunt" for the golden season and flower season.
The peak season is gloomy
For nearly a week, heavy and very heavy rains have occurred in Bac Quang district, Ha Giang province, causing major floods and landslides. According to a quick report from the Standing Office of the Provincial Steering Committee for Disaster Prevention and Control, the heavy rains that lasted from the night of September 29 to noon on October 1 caused an estimated loss of life and property of over VND36 billion.
Mr. Hoang Van Hoan, Director of Gio Ha Giang Travel Company, revealed that from September 5 until now, more than 200 customers have canceled their service bookings at his company.
"80% of the customers who come to Ha Giang through my company are from the South. In recent months, I have observed a sharp decline in the number of customers coming to Ha Giang," he said. The company said it has proactively asked customers to cancel their tours and refund 100% of their deposits due to natural disasters.
Mr. Le Cong - a local tour guide, said that he had three groups of customers booking a trip to Ha Giang around mid-October, however, he contacted the customers to cancel the trip and refund the deposit due to unfavorable weather conditions.
"Currently, it rains a lot in the Dong Van stone plateau, and in the Nho Que river, the road down to the river is partially eroded, and there are sections where the water is very dangerous," said Mr. Le Cong.
This time is considered unsafe for traveling in Ha Giang, therefore, the number of tourists registering for tours is quite small.
Mr. Le Cong said that if the sun shines continuously for at least 7-10 days, the roads will be stable enough for travel.
Mr. Hoang Van Hoan also said that the Ma Pi Leng Pass area had a lot of rain, water overflowed onto the road, landslides, and dangerous rockfalls. The Dong Van Stone Plateau area had localized rain and landslides, so it did not affect the buckwheat flowers much. Famous tourist attractions are currently very deserted, with only a few foreign tourists because they had booked in advance and were mentally strong.
“However, I think that this year’s buckwheat flower season will definitely see a significant decrease in the number of visitors to Ha Giang. The weather and traffic are not favorable. Honestly, I think this year the tourism industry is barely surviving and waiting to restart next year,” he said.
No more "sold out" rooms or cars for rent
Prolonged heavy rain has significantly reduced the number of visitors to some homestays, motels, and hotels in Ha Giang.
Mr. Nguyen Thuat - Manager of Danh House accommodation said that compared to the same period last year, the number of guests is currently down 50%, there is no longer a shortage of rooms or motorbikes for rent. This facility has posted a support article for tourists who cannot leave Ha Giang due to floods, they can stay for free.
Mr. Hoang Van Lat, owner of Lat Huong motel in Meo Vac, was sad to see the serious consequences of the natural disaster on his family's life as well as the province's tourism situation in general.
He shared: “At this time in previous years, every weekend was crowded with tourists traveling to visit the beautiful scenery of Ha Giang. But this year, seeing the number of vehicles is much lower, I know the economic situation will be difficult.”
Since storm No. 3 and reports of landslides in the highlands, the number of visitors to Ha Giang has been uneven, not counting the recent heavy rains. “According to my personal observations, the number of Vietnamese visitors has probably decreased by nearly 100%, with only a few foreign tourists staying,” said Mr. Lat.
Recently, Mr. Lat's motel and neighboring accommodations have only had people from far away coming to do business, renting a few rooms and no tourists. "My family also supplies live fish to other restaurants, but revenue is 60-70% lower than the same period last year, goods are stuck. I'm also very sad, customers see floods and landslides like that, they have no interest in going to Ha Giang," Mr. Lat frankly said.
Prolonged heavy rain will still pose the risk of landslides, flash floods, and landslides, leading to a sharp decrease in the number of tourists to Ha Giang.
Mr. Nguyen Thuat shared that his accommodation facility and some other homestays and tourism units in Ha Giang always update weather information regularly, fully preparing to welcome visitors to the buckwheat flower season when the weather is stable.
Tourists are advised to update weather information and proactively contact service providers to decide on a tour program suitable to the weather situation, ensuring quality and a safe experience.
