HCM CITY— Tourist spots, hotels and amusement venues, and buses and ferries across the country were packed with holiday makers during the four-day holiday that ended yesterday (May 2). 

The sunshine and hot weather in the south made it suitable for sea-related tourism and eco-tourism.

Hotels in Vũng Tàu, Mũi Né and Nha Trang, which have famous beaches, operated at full capacity, with room tariffs hiked to two to three times the normal rates. 

Major roads in Vũng Tàu were packed with tourists from the evening of April 29 as an influx began from neighbouring places like HCM City and Đồng Nai and Bình Dương provinces.

On the first three days of the holiday around 177,000 people visited the city, according to its Tourist Zones Management Board.

Hotels and resorts in Phan Thiết were fully booked from April 28 to May 2, according to the Bình Thuận Province Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism.

Most high-end hotels in the Hàm Tiến-Mũi Né Tourist Zone operated at 90-95 per cent of capacity.

But hotels said room rates and other services were only 10-20 per cent higher due to advance booking.

Nha Trang welcomed around 650,000 visitors during the past four days, a significant increase compared to last year, according to the local Department of Tourism.

International tourist numbers rose by 28 per cent, with a majority coming from Russia and China.

Đà Lạt also saw a large influx of visitors and a resultant traffic congestion on major roads and large crowds at popular tourist spots.  

On April 30 and May 1, the Valley of Love (Thung Lũng Tình Yêu) and Flower Garden, two famous tourist attractions, respectively received more than 15,000 tourists and 12,000 visitors.

The number of tourists visiting eco-tourism destinations in Tiền Giang and Bến Tre provinces in the Cửu Long (Mekong) Delta surged an estimated three-fold, with most of them being from HCM City.

They went on tours on the Tiền River and visited Thới Sơn and Phụng islands where they enjoyed authentic Delta cuisine and specialties such as honey and coconut candies.

The Mỹ Tho tourist wharf in Tiền Giang Province served nearly 3,000 visitors going on cruises on the Tiền River daily.

The Đồng Tâm Snake Farm, Vĩnh Tràng Pagoda, Tân Thành beach, Đông Hòa Hiệp ancient village and Thới Sơn islands also received a large number of visitors.

The prices of tourist services in Tiền Giang and Bến Tre provinces remained unchanged from normal days. 

Overloaded ferries

On May 1 dozens of thousands of passengers and vehicles waited in long lines at the Bình Khánh Ferry in HCM City’s Nhà Bè District to cross the river into Cần Giờ District.

Though all nine ferries were operating, they failed to cope with the demand, Nguyễn Tấn Hảo of the Voluntary Youth Public Benefit Service Company said.

Motorbikes had to wait 15-20 minutes to get into a ferry while it took 45 minutes to one hour for cars, he said.

Around 55,000 passengers used the ferries on May 1, double the figure on normal days.

The number of passengers at the Cát Lái Ferry in District 2 topped 99,000 on April 30, a record number.

The average number has since declined to 70,000. —VNS