Around 50,000 visitors flocked to Vung Tau, beach city in southern Vietnam, over the weekend for the New Year holiday, which prompted local authorities to strengthen COVID-19 prevention measures.

The popular beach city saw the largest number of visitors from Saturday afternoon to noon the next day, local tourism authorities said.

According to the observation of Tuoi Tre (Youth) newspaper reporters, Vung Tau’s main streets including Quang Trung, Thuy Van, Ha Long, Ba Cu, and Hoang Hoa Tham had dense traffic flow late Saturday afternoon.

Local restaurants and coffee shops were also crowded on Sunday morning.

Authorities assigned staff to patrol beaches and parks around the city to remind people of wearing masks and staying distanced to prevent COVID-19 spread.

Accommodation venues were required to have QR codes for customers to conduct medical declarations.

The rule was adhered to quite well by big hotels and resorts while smaller guest houses and motels seemed to neglect it.

QR codes were also provided along the beaches.

Such a large number of visitors gravitating to the city in a short time spurred the demand for local seafood as well as doubled their prices.

A kilogram of average quality flower crabs, which commonly fetch between VND300,000 and VND350,000 on normal days, was priced at up to VND700,000 on Sunday morning. (US$1 = VND 22,855)

“We do not stock many flower crabs as well as feel hesitant to sell them to customers due to the high prices,” an owner of a seafood store on Nguyen Huu Canh Street said.

In addition, accommodation costs also went up quite high on Saturday night. A room for two fetched between VND500,000 and VND700,000 while it costs only VND300,000 to VND350,000 on normal days.

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