The tourism department of the Central Highlands province of Lam Dong has ordered the management of the Bidoup - Nui Ba National Park to stop selling tickets to visitors to the ‘Lonely Pine Tree,’ a new attraction of the provincial capital city of Da Lat.

The park management insisted that the tree, which stands within its boundaries, is the venue’s property so they had the right to charge admission fees for the attraction, one of the most popular newly-emerged must-visit places in Da Lat.

But the Lam Dong tourism department ruled that the admission charging was implemented without its approval, thus requesting the Bidoup - Nui Ba National Park and its partner, LAAN Company, to immediately stop the fee collection on Friday.

The department underlined that it has no plans to sell tickets to the ‘Cay Thong Co Don’ (Lonely Pine Tree), which is located approximately 18.5 kilometers northwest of the city’s downtown area.

The ‘Lonely Pine Tree’ earns its name and fame from a big pine tree that stands in solitude in the middle of an empty grass field just by the bank of ‘Suoi Vang’ (Yellow Stream) Lake, a great place for camping.

The tree was discovered by a group of trekkers and was quick to become a new ‘check-in point’ for adventure- and selfie-loving visitors to Da Lat.

A ticket booth is set up on a trail leading to the tourist site. Photo: Mai Vinh / Tuoi Tre

The destination, which was previously free to everyone, has made the news after the park started selling tickets to visitors from the start of the 2019 Lunar New Year on February 5. All trails leading to the famous pine tree had since been blocked, with a new one opened along with a ticket booth at the beginning of the path.

Adults were required to pay VND40,000 (US$1.72) for a ticket, while children were given a 50-percent discount, which upset a lot of tourists.

After buying the tickets, visitors were provided with specialized vehicles that take them to the location, which is not always necessary as many travel to the valley by motorbike and car.

The Lam Dong tourism department has worked with relevant sides on the issue and has come to a conclusion that the newly-offered services at the ‘Lonely Pine Tree’ does not meet legal requirements to be considered a tourism business, thus no admission fee collection is allowed.

Young visitors take a group photo in front of the lonely pine tree in the Central Highlands city of Da Lat. Photo: Mai Vinh / Tuoi Tre

Following the ruling of the tourism department, the Bidoup - Nui Ba National Park and LAAN Company on Friday unblocked all trails to the site and removed all the facilities of services there, according to Nguyen Luong Minh, the park’s deputy director.

However, Minh added that the park management and its partner will complete all necessary steps to have the ‘Lonely Pine Tree’ recognized as a tourism product, thus eligible to collect admission fee.

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