The Ky Cung - Ta Phu Festival takes place from the 22nd to the 27th of the first lunar month every year, an event associated with the worship of Quan Dai Tuan Tranh and Duc Thanh Tran.
This is not only an opportunity for local people to pray for peace but also an opportunity for tourists from all over to come and experience the traditional festival space imbued with the cultural identity of the border area.
According to records, since January 21, the number of tourists to Lang Son has skyrocketed compared to normal days. In particular, on peak days (from January 24 to 26), thousands of visitors continue to flock, causing motels and hotels to be overloaded.
Accommodation facilities with prime locations near Ky Cung Temple, Ta Phu Temple and Dong Kinh Market have been almost full for many days.
Ms. Nguyen Thi Huong (Hanoi), a tourist to the festival, shared: "My family and I booked a hotel a week ago, but the room rate is up to 50% higher than usual. Some places reported that they were out of rooms early. Those who do not book in advance can hardly find a satisfactory place to stay".
With the heat of the festival, the price of hotel rooms and motels in Lang Son city has increased significantly.
Some 3-star hotels were previously only priced at around 500,000 - 700,000 VND/night, but now they have increased to 1,000,000 - 1,500,000 VND/night. Affordable motels are no exception, with prices increasing from 250,000 - 300,000 VND/night to 500,000 - 600,000 VND/night.
On the Traveloka booking app, on February 22 and 23 (25 and 26 of January), some 5-star hotels in Lang Son city such as Muong Thanh or Four Points by Sheraton Lang Son had "uses" their rooms.
If there are, there are only two-bed rooms with prices around 5 million VND/room/night.
Talking to reporters, Mr. Tran Quang Ha - Director of Long Vu Hotel (Ly Thuong Kiet Street, Vinh Trai Ward, Lang Son City) said: "Our hotel has 40 rooms, which can serve a maximum of more than 100 guests. However, there are now no more rooms for sale, customers have booked rooms for a long time, especially on January 22 and 27 (the opening and closing day of the Ky Cung - Ta Phu Festival)".
According to Mr. Ha, although there are many guests, the room rate at this hotel remains the same. The hotel owner considers this an occasion to show gratitude to tourists, while building a beautiful impression in the hearts of tourists when coming to Lang Son.
Mr. Hoang Van Nam, a hotel owner on Tran Dang Ninh Street, said: "This year, the number of guests has increased sharply, many people have booked rooms since last month. Currently, our hotel has been fully booked since January 20. room prices have increased, but we still keep the reasonable level, not increase them suddenly to ensure customers can still access good services".
For tourists who cannot find a room in the central area, many people are forced to move to neighboring areas such as Cao Loc, Dong Dang or even further away such as Loc Binh district to rent a room overnight.
Informing reporters, the leader of the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism of Lang Son province said that there are currently 302 tourist accommodation establishments in the province that are qualified to do business with 4,170 rooms.
In which, there are 2 5-star hotels including Four Points by Sheraton Lang Son Hotel and Muong Thanh Luxury Lang Son Hotel. Currently, the number of tourist accommodation facilities basically meets the needs of tourists when coming to Lang Son.
According to statistics, on January 22 alone - the opening day of the festival - Lang Son welcomed nearly 60,000 visitors, with tourism revenue estimated at 71 billion VND.
The leaders of the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism also recommended that during the peak of the holiday season, the number of tourists coming to Lang Son is quite large, especially on weekends, the room occupancy rate of tourist accommodation facilities in Lang Son city reaches 100%. People who want to stay should book rooms at motels and hotels on the outskirts of the city.
