Many hotels in the tourist town of Sapa have complained about their operations being badly affected by a sewage upgrade project which has been stagnant for months.

Construction work has left a mess at Dong Loi Street in Sapa Town

The suspended project has left Dong Loi Street which is home to some of the town’s most luxurious hotels a mess. The number of visitors coming to the street has decreased as buses cannot access the street while walking is difficult.

Manager of Peace House Hotel, Le Tuan Anh, complained that the hotel's occupancy rate has fallen by 40% due to the problem.

Lying a short distance from Peace House Hotel, Chau Long Hotel also is also facing the same situation.

"Tourists are still coming to Sapa during the festive season this year but they are not coming to us," said Pham Quang Liem, head of the Marketing Department at Chau Long Hotel. "Many tourists told me that they would not choose our hotel due to the difficult road and the mess around us. Our occupancy rate has fallen 30-40 per cent." 

The four-star Amazing Hotel has also reported a fall of 50 per cent in the number of guests over the past two months. According to head of the hotel's Customer Care Department, Phan Thi Lan, many guests have cancelled their bookings when arriving at the hotel.

"Passengers have even posted reviews on social websites about our situation to warn other visitors," Lan said.

The construction work on Dong Loi Street which began in September 2018, spans over 200 metres and was expected to be finished in two months. However, the site remains chaotic.  

According to a representative of Cotabig Joint Stock Company, Lai Van Anh, the project to upgrade infrastructure in Sapa Town is being carried out on 11 local streets by three contractors including Cotabig, Hoang Lien Thanh and Zodiac.

"The project will last over two years and expected to be finished by September 2020," Anh said. "The first stage of the project will deal with sewage pipe system, pavements, and the road surface on six streets including Ham Rong 1, Xuan Vien, Cau May, Fansipan, Tue Tinh 2 and Dong Loi. We have made some progress but also faced with some challenges due to the weather and location."

Nguyen Duc Hanh from Hoang Lien Thanh Company added that they were also facing difficulties in site clearance due to the large number of hotels and shops in some streets.

"The project is taking longer due to the festive season when we were asked to halt for some festivals and cultural and tourism events," Hanh said. "But we are trying our best to ensure the progress and also quality of the project." 

According to the Sapa tourism development master plan, by 2030, Sapa will become a national cultural resort that would attract 5.2 million visitors a year.

Dtinews/VOV