Lam Dong Province and Ba Ria-Vung Tau Province, two of Vietnam’s most-visited destinations, are teetering on the brink of a downhill slide in tourism due to road infrastructure issues that have made traveling to these places a nightmare.

Lam Dong

Located in the Central Highlands region of Vietnam, Lam Dong Province is home to Da Lat, a popular destination for both international tourists and domestic travelers during short holidays. 

The province, about 320 kilometers northeast of Ho Chi Minh City, welcomed a total of 4.5 million tourists during the first half of this year, according to the provincial People’s Committee. 

However, the province’s current state of traffic infrastructure has dimmed its tourist outlook for the second half of the year, according to Secretary of the provincial Party Committee Tran Duc Quan.

According to the director of a major travel company in Da Lat, while there are serious concerns regarding traffic jams on holidays and weekends, less congestion in the city may signify the local tourism sector’s downturn.  

In the heart of the city, where tourist activity was once bustling, hotels are noticeably vacant and owners are offering steep discounts to pull in guests. 

Meanwhile, many restaurants and other service providers have shut down due to low profits.

The director noted that the traffic system in Da Lat has significantly deteriorated over the past few years.

It is also extremely inconvenient to travel from Ho Chi Minh City to Da Lat.

“All roads leading to Da Lat City from other provinces are either severely damaged or heavily congested, essentially isolating the city,” the director commented.

While National Highway 20 serves as a crucial route linking Ho Chi Minh City, southern Dong Nai Province, and Lam Dong Province, its passage through residential areas, narrow mountain passes, high-traffic thoroughfares, and lack of expansion often result in travel times of up to eight hours to cover just 300 kilometers.

National Highway 27C, which connects Nha Trang City in south-central Vietnam’s Khanh Hoa Province and Da Lat City, poses significant risks during the rainy season, with frequent landslides, falling rocks, and, more recently, sinkholes.

National Highway 27 connecting Da Lat City to neighboring Dak Lak Province and south-central Ninh Thuan Province has long been a cause for concern due to extensive damage. 

Drivers are forced to travel at very slow speeds, putting significant strains on fuel and vehicle repair costs. 

Despite numerous repair requests to the Ministry of Transport over the years, the route remains dangerous. 

In September, Lam Dong Province proposed providing funds for repairs due to the negative impact on trade if the route remains in its current state.

National Highway 28B, which connects Da Lat City and south-central Binh Thuan Province, is notorious for its steep slopes and sharp turns, both of which often contribute to accidents. 

The proposed Tan Phu-Bao Loc Expressway, set to open in 2025 to connect Lam Dong with neighboring Dong Nai Province, missed the deadline to break ground last month.

These road infrastructure setbacks are likely to blame for Da Lat’s declining rank as a top tourist destination.

Vehicles works at the construction site of a highway connecting Bien Hoa City of Dong Nai Province and Vung Tau City of Ba Ria-Vung Tau Province. Photo: Dong Ha / Tuoi Tre

Comparatively, the Phan Thiet-Dau Giay Expressway, which was put into operation on April 30, shortened the expected traveling time from Ho Chi Minh City to Phan Thiet City, another popular holiday destination in Binh Thuan Province, from about five hours to just under three.

“It used to be that, among Phan Thiet City, Nha Trang City, and Da Lat City, my family would opt for Da Lat,” shared Hoang Dung, a resident of District 3 in Ho Chi Minh City.

“Now, with our busy work schedules, we prefer destinations that are easily and quickly accessible.

“Traveling to Da Lat City has become exhausting due to the narrow roads and slow traffic,” she explained.

Ba Ria-Vung Tau

The Ministry of Industry and Trade reports that around seven million tourists visited Ba Ria-Vung Tau Province, a popular getaway destination just 85 kilometers east of Ho Chi Minh City, in the first half of 2023, generating an estimated total revenue of over VND7 trillion (US$286.3 million). 

The number of summer tourists increased compared to the previous year.

However, Pham Ngoc Hai, president of the Ba Ria-Vung Tau Tourism Association, highlighted that the growth rate of the tourism industry in the province has slowed in recent years. 

Despite official statistics indicating a consistent 10- to 15-percent yearly increase, this data is primarily derived from an estimate of the number of day visitors to Vung Tau City. 

Surveys of accommodation facilities in the city have revealed that the booking rate has fallen to below pre-COVID-19 levels. 

In the summer of 2023, only about 60 percent of available lodgings were occupied on average, a significant drop from the 85 to 90-percent occupancy rate seen in 2019.

The longstanding issues of traffic congestion and road damage of National Highway 51, the sole route from Ho Chi Minh City to the province’s capital city of Vung Tau, are to blame for these undesirable figures.

The condition of National Highway 51 is a major concern and a barrier to tourism development, as it creates significant travel delays between the province and Ho Chi Minh City, impacting the value of new tourism offerings and services.

It can take up to four hours to travel the 85 kilometers between the two localities.

The plan to build a VND18 trillion ($736.3 million) highway to connect Vung Tau with neighboring Dong Nai’s Bien Hoa City also faces a deadlock due to site clearance issues.

As a result, the highway will likely not be finished until 2025, delaying relief for National Highway 51.

At the same time, construction of Coastal Road 994 is progressing slowly.

Accordingly, Hai encourages investments in the organization of large-scale events as an interim approach to boost local tourism while waiting for the completion of major infrastructure projects, such as the Bien Hoa-Vung Tau Expressway and Long Thanh International Airport in Dong Nai Province, which will bring new opportunities to Ba Ria-Vung Tau.

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