For nearly a week now, Mr. Duong Quoc Hieu - the owner of a coffee shop in Sa Pa (Lao Cai) - has been cleaning and renovating the establishment while welcoming guests. "After the flood, my restaurant was also affected by mud and soil, and some items were damaged. In the past few days, I have been hiring people to repair the areas that are not affected, but still take advantage of serving customers, hoping to soon bring all activities back to normal" - Mr. Hieu said.
Currently, most restaurants, hotels, accommodation facilities and tourist attractions in Sa Pa have returned to normal operations. However, the number of Vietnamese visitors is still less crowded due to fear of floods and inundation. Mr. Nguyen Trung Kien - representative of the Cat Cat Tourist Area Management Board - said: "During the rainy and flood days, tourism activities and travel of tourists were affected, due to many landslides. But at this point, after the restaurant was temporarily opened, the unit has welcomed guests again".
According to Mr. Kien, the number of tourists to Sa Pa and Cat Cat village has decreased sharply, with only a few hundred arrivals per day, mainly Asian tourists such as India, the Philippines, Korea... Statistics from Lao Cai tourism industry show that in the first 9 months of 2025, the locality welcomed more than 3.5 million visitors, with estimated revenue reaching 15,000 billion VND.
In Tuyen Quang, a locality that suffered heavy damage from the recent floods, the Thanh Tuyen Festival in 2025 had to stop being held even though the preparation work had been completed, which is the second year the festival has been affected by natural disasters. This makes it difficult for many accommodation and food establishments. Mr. Nguyen Dinh Tam - Vice President of Tuyen Quang Tourism Association - said: "Many members were severely affected by storm No. 10, such as the Flower and Plant Farm in Son Duong commune, which suffered about 720 million VND in damage, the Lang Chai Seafood and Tourism Cooperative, Na Hang commune, which suffered about 1.7 billion VND in damage, Ha Giang Young Tourism and Trade Services Company Limited, Ha Giang 1 ward, which suffered about 350 million VND in damage to accommodation facilities...".
After the water receded, accommodation and accommodation establishments in Tuyen Quang quickly overcame and basically stabilized to welcome guests. Many unaffected establishments have promptly notified tourists to stop for free before continuing their journey.
Tourism activities in the Northwest are gradually recovering as many destinations such as Sa Pa, Mu Cang Chai, Nho Que river and Ban Gioc waterfall reopen, and basic traffic routes are cleared. However, the number of visitors has decreased sharply due to fear of insecurity. Sa Pa recorded a decrease of more than 40% in early October; Mu Cang Chai decreased by 90-95% compared to the peak, many groups canceled tours even though the ripe rice season still lasted until the end of the month.
In Cao Bang, Ban Gioc waterfall and Pac Bo relic site have been open since October 10, the main road is smooth, although some routes are still limited. Travel businesses are closely monitoring the situation to adjust their plans in time, while prioritizing ensuring the safety of tourists. A representative of a travel company in Hoan Kiem ward (Hanoi) said: "The tourist attractions themselves were not damaged much, but the transportation system connecting them still has many landslides, not ensuring safety for welcoming visitors. Therefore, we have not been able to resume tour programs in this area.
For the international tourist market, the year-end exploitation plan is also affected, some groups have shifted to the Northeast, such as Quang Ninh - Hai Phong, or the Central Central and South Central sea and island destinations. This is a flexible adaptation to ensure the safety of tourists and maintain business operations.
In the period of overcoming the consequences of storms and floods, the top priority is still to restore life and ensure safety for local people. Tourism is very important, but when roads are not yet open, people are still recovering from floods, so they cannot organize activities to welcome guests as usual - the representative of the travel company emphasized, at the same time saying that many travel businesses have supported and provided funding to people in flooded areas through reputable organizations.
