According to a rapid report on 20/2 (the 4th day of Tet) from the Dong Van Karst Plateau Global Geopark, visitor numbers to tourist sites in the area surged dramatically from 19/2 (the 3rd day of Tet). Accommodations were 100% booked, and information desks operated at full capacity to serve guests.
Many routes in the area experienced continuous congestion, particularly at tourism hotspots such as Tham Ma Pass, Nho Que River, and the section of Ma Pi Leng Pass.
 |
Ma Pi Leng Pass on the morning of 20/2. Photo: NVCC
At Tham Ma Pass, many tourists turned back towards the city, unable to proceed. Ngo Xuan Hieu, owner of a cafe at Tham Ma Pass, stated that visitor numbers on the 4th day of Tet were around 5,000, ten times higher than on a normal day. Tourists stopping to take photos on the pass caused congestion. Returning to Ha Giang ward around noon on 20/2, he spent about one hour to exit Tham Ma Pass, describing "a long line of vehicles inching forward."
The Nho Que River boat dock also experienced overcrowding, with visitors waiting over 40 minutes without their turn to board a boat. Thuy Duong, a tourist from Hanoi, gave up at 12h30 when her ticket number was 246, with hundreds of customers still ahead of her.
By around 14h30, many others also gave up, similar to Duong. Continuing would mean an incomplete experience due to impending darkness. After reselling her waiting number, Duong traveled to Meo Vac, where she was stuck in traffic for over 30 minutes in Pa Vi village.
 |
Tham Ma Pass at noon on 20/2. Photo: NVCC
 |
Rest stop on Ma Pi Leng Pass on the morning of 20/2. Photo: NVCC
 |
Meo Vac on the afternoon of 20/2. Photo: NVCC
 |
Nho Que River boat dock on the afternoon of 20/2. Photo: NVCC
Other tourist spots, such as Nha cua Pao, also experienced prolonged traffic jams. Hoang Tuan, a tourist from Hai Phong, said his Ha Giang travel experience during these days "only felt exhausted" due to the crowds. He had planned to stay overnight in Meo Vac but, realizing the situation was not promising, was urgently searching for accommodation in Dong Van.
On Ha Giang tourism groups, many shared similar experiences to Tuan, unable to reach their intended destinations due to traffic, accepting to resell their rooms and search for new ones. However, finding accommodation in places like Dong Van, Meo Vac, or Lo Lo Chai at the last minute was almost hopeless, unless someone resold their booking.
Hoang An, a representative of Gio Ha Giang Tourism Company, stated that they continuously received urgent booking requests until the afternoon of 20/2.
According to him, there are virtually no vacant rooms in Ha Giang currently, while many are willing to pay high prices for accommodation. Besides lodging, many tourists struggled to find motorbike rentals. An predicted that visitor numbers to Ha Giang would peak on 21/2 (the 5th day of Tet) and gradually decrease after 22/2 (the 6th day of Tet).
Hoai Anh
