Overloaded accommodation, congested roads
Every February, Moc Chau plateau puts on the pure white coat of the blooming plum blossom forests.
According to information from the Department of Culture and Information (DIC) of Moc Chau town, this year's plum blossom season is considered to be the most even and beautiful in the past 10 years.
"This is also the year Moc Chau welcomes a record number of tourists" - Ms. Dinh Thi Huong, Head of the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism of Moc Chau town, excitedly shared.
"I have been to Moc Chau a few times, but I have never seen this crowded place. Famous places such as Na Ka plum valley, Mu Nau plum forest, Ta Phinh are almost packed with people. Taking a photo also requires queuing up to wait," said Ms. Nguyen Thanh Huong, a tourist from Hanoi.
Along the roads around the plum valley, a series of convoys of vehicles stretched for kilometers.
Some main roads such as the road to Ang village, Tan Lap commune area, the road to Long Sap border gate are congested for a long time during rush hour, especially early morning and late afternoon - the best time to hunt for plum blossom photos.
Even on National Highway 6 - the artery connecting the Northwest with Hanoi, traffic jams occur continuously. Many tourist vehicles and private cars lined up for kilometers, moving at a slow speed.
"It took more than 30 minutes to get from Van Ho intersection to Moc Chau town yesterday," said Mr. Tran Hoang Nam, a tourist from Hanoi, lamenting.
Warmth of human affection on the white cloud plateau
The boom in tourism has caused Moc Chau's accommodation system to be seriously overloaded.
hotels, homestays, and motels are all " full". Many tourists who come to the new booking location have had to leave disappointed because they cannot find a place to stay.
Talking to reporters, the leader of Moc Chau Town People's Committee said that the town currently has nearly 300 accommodation facilities, meeting more than 10,000 guests/day. However, due to the sudden increase in the number of visitors, especially during the weekend, all accommodation facilities are operating at full capacity.
Mr. Tran Van Huy, the owner of a homestay in Moc Chau, shared: "This year the number of customers is double that of last year. We have booked rooms before Tet, many customers have called to book but there are no more seats. Some people are willing to pay a higher price to have a place to sleep, but we cannot receive more".
Faced with this situation, many local households have proactively opened their doors to welcome tourists to stay. Some families with large houses have rearranged their bedrooms, added beds or added mattresses to give visitors a temporary sleeping space.
Ms. Dong Thi Hoa, a resident of Moc Chau town, said: "My family gave up two bedrooms to a group of five adults and three children from Hanoi, who stayed for free overnight."
According to Ms. Hoa, her family will continue to support accommodation for tourists if needed.
Not only helping individuals, the online community in Moc Chau also quickly joined hands. On Facebook and Zalo groups, hundreds of posts called for support for free or low-cost accommodation for stranded tourists.
Mr. Khanh, a tourist from Hai Phong, shared about the memorable experience of traveling with a group of 10 adults and 8 children without booking a room in advance: "My family is very lucky to have Mocha Hill Tourist Area support free accommodation in cold weather below 10 degrees Celsius. We will never forget the hospitality and affection of Moc Chau people".
Talking to reporters, Ms. Dinh Thi Huong said that since the New Year, Moc Chau has welcomed 930,000 visitors, with an estimated revenue of VND 1,209 billion.
This number is considered the highest ever and is one of the positive signals when Moc Chau officially became a town.
