Thousands of visitors to Cam Mountain in An Giang Province, southern Vietnam on Wednesday, the second day of the Lunar New Year(Tet) holiday, had to wait for hours to travel to the mountaintop in cable cars.

All the roads leading to the mountain area were crowded with tourists who wished to reach the summit, known as the ‘Top of the Western Region’ of Vietnam, sitting at an altitude of 705 meters.

Besides cable cars, travelers can use motorbike taxis or tourist cars to reach the top of the mountain, located in Tinh Bien District.

The cable car fare is VND20,000 (US$0.88) higher than that in 2021, with a round trip costing VND200,000 ($8.8) for adults and VND100,000 ($4.4) for children.

The way-up tickets for adults and children are priced at VND140,000 ($6.19) and VND80,000 ($3.53), respectively, while way-down fares are VND120,000 ($5.31) and VND60,000 ($2.65).

“My family is in the district’s Tan Loi Commune, very close to this tourist area, but we had to wait for more than two hours to be taken to the top of the mountain in cable cars,” complained Neang Soc Chol, a local woman.

“I didn’t expect this area to be so crowded.”

Famous places in the area such as Big Buddha Pagoda, Maitreya Buddha Statue, Van Linh Pagoda, and Thuy Liem Lake Bed were filled with thousands of visitors and worshippers.

The mount has now changed very much, with many spectacular landscapes for travelers to choose to enjoy, Nguyen Van Sang, a resident from nearby Dong Thap Province, joyfully told Tuoi Tre (Youth) newspaper while having a meal with his family by Thuy Liem Lake.

“My family and I come here to pray for peace for our family and our loved ones,” Sang said.

“I especially wish that the [COVID-19] pandemic will end soon so that everyone can stay safe.”

Police have arrested some people for snatching travelers’ necklaces in the crowds.

“From the first day of the Tet holiday until Wednesday noon, the number of visitors to the mountain area has reached 14,000,” said Dinh Van Chac, director of the Management Board of the Cam Mountain Tourist Area.

Before Tet, the board had renovated the entire site, including renewing more than 80 percent of the roads leading to the mountaintop and installing 26 surveillance cameras around Thuy Liem Lake to ensure safety and security.

“Compared to the 2021 and 2022 Tet, the tourist numbers have increased by 1,200 and 900, respectively,” Chac said.    

Ly Thanh Sang, director of the cable car site, said his unit welcomed over 6,000 travellers on Wednesday and 5,000 visitors on Tuesday, the first day of the Lunar New Year holiday.

The number of cable car users has reached 70 percent of that in the 2021 Tet, a positive sign for the local tourism sector.

“I hope the figures will continue to rise in the coming days, helping restore the tourist industry after a long time of closure due to the COVID-19 pandemic,” Sang said.

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