During the National Day holiday of September 2nd, Sa Pa became one of the destinations attracting many tourists in Lao Cai.
The rapid increase in people and vehicles has caused some roads in the central area of Sa Pa ward to often become crowded and slow to move.
Along with private cars, the number of taxis operating in the center of Sa Pa during the holidays also increased significantly.
Talking to Lao Dong Newspaper, Mr. To Ngoc Lien - Secretary of the Party Committee of Sa Pa Ward said that during the National Day holiday on September 2nd this year, the locality is expected to welcome about 400,000 - 500,000 visitors.
The increase in the number of visitors has led to a sharp increase in the number of vehicles pouring into the area, while the transport infrastructure has not changed much.
At some peak times, many roads in the central area experienced localized congestion.
To ensure traffic safety, Lao Cai Provincial Police have mobilized traffic police and mobile police forces to coordinate with grassroots security forces to organize traffic diversion on roads leading to the center of Sa Pa.
The rice season also attracts tourists from the center of Sa Pa to Ta Van and Lao Chai villages, with peak hours in the afternoon, causing traffic to always be crowded.
Similarly, the Mu Cang Chai area also recorded a sharp increase in the number of tourists during the National Day holiday, especially at the terraced field viewing spots that are in the beautiful season.
The greatest traffic pressure appeared in the late afternoon, when tourists simultaneously came here to admire and take photos of the sunset.
At about 6:30 pm on August 31, traffic jams occurred in the Mong Ngua hill area for about an hour. Vehicles can still move but very slowly, many sections have long lines of traffic.
According to Mr. Giang A Tang - Vice Chairman of Mu Cang Chai Commune People's Committee, the number of visitors on National Day this year has increased significantly compared to the same period last year. During the 5-day holiday, the locality is estimated to welcome about 27,000 visitors.
Congestion at some points is mainly due to tourists tending to focus on the same location, same time frame, instead of stemming from infrastructure limitations.
Mainly customers want to take photos at sunset. When it's dark, people move back at the same time, so traffic jams occur" - Mr. Tang said.
During the rice season, the locality organizes many cultural activities to serve tourists, and at the same time strengthens forces to monitor and manage at crowded points.
Regarding service prices, local authorities have guided business households to build reasonable and public collection levels. Emerging services are implemented based on the needs of tourists, not mandatory.
