Many tourists stuck on the way to Sa Pa

Landslides after heavy rain cut off some sections of the road from Lao Cai to Sa Pa, leaving about 20 vehicles unable to move and many tourists stranded.

Mr. Nguyen Xuan Truong, Vice Chairman of Sa Pa District, said that there are currently about 20 vehicles stuck near Coc San Hydropower Plant. As of 3 p.m., authorities have not yet been able to reach the scene to rescue them, so the number of tourists stuck there is still unknown.

According to Mr. Truong, there were not many tourists in Sa Pa in the past two days and they were all safe while staying in town. Most of the tourists stuck on the road were traveling from Lao Cai to Sa Pa on a weekend getaway.

"Rescue forces are working at full capacity to clear the cut-off points. The road to Sa Pa will be reopened at 6 p.m.," Mr. Truong added.

Many tourists were stuck on the Lao Cai - Sa Pa route. Photo: Otofun

Pham Cao Vy, a passenger on the Lao Cai - Sa Pa route, said he heard about the traffic jam at 9am this morning so he chose the bypass. "If anyone going to Sa Pa is stuck in Lao Cai, get off at Xuan Giao and ask for directions to Thanh Phu commune - Ban Ho - Sa Pa. The road is still good on this route," he suggested, adding that this route should only be used for 7 or 16-seat vehicles.

This morning, the Lao Cai Department of Transport stopped traffic for all types of vehicles on National Highway 4D (Lao Cai - Lai Chau).

Vehicles going to and from Lao Cai city are also divided into lanes. For vehicles with less than 7 seats going to Sa Pa, take the bypass: Lao Cai city - Thu Dau Mot road - provincial road 156 to Ban Vuoc - provincial road 158, to Can Ty intersection - provincial road 155 - national road 4D - Sa Pa and vice versa.

Due to the impact of storm No. 2, Lao Cai has experienced heavy rain for 4 days. The director of the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development said that the floods have killed 4 people, left 7 missing, injured one person, and many houses have collapsed completely.

According to VNE