Recalling the days when Yagi made landfall in Quang Ninh, Tran Van Hong, the owner of Hong Hai fleet, said that, warned about the strong typhoon, he and his workers moved tourism boats to Tuan Chau and Bai Chay passenger ship port and tied boats to protect them from being swept away or sinking. However, the storm with its constant gusts of wind and crashing waves caused other floating watercraft to collide with his boats and damage them.

After the typhoon, the area where his fleet was anchored was devastated. The hull and engine compartments of the boats were damaged and they needed immediate repair and maintenance. After just one week, Hong Hai fleet has recovered and begun receiving passengers.

“Soon after the provincial authorities allowed us to receive passengers again, my fleet has always been busy,” Hong said.

Co To was the first locality in Quang Ninh affected by the storm. The level-17 wind with gusts destroyed the roofs of buildings and houses. In such conditions, many accommodation service providers on the island opened their doors to locals.

Being one of the first hotels that voluntarily provided accommodations to locals, Le Thi Loan, 44, the owner of Co To View, said all the hotel rooms were full of guests and locals when the typhoon landed in Co To. The people were given free meals and accommodations for free.

As the wind was strong, many windows at Loan’s hotel were blown away. As Co To is an island, it is more difficult to repair buildings and re-equip them than on the mainland. After the typhoon, the guests and locals who stayed at the hotel for free, found corrugated iron roof, iron frame and window glass suppliers, helping Loan’s hotel to quickly recover.

“My hotel has opened again after the typhoon. If I had not received support from locals, the hotel could not have become operational so soon,” she said.

On September 13, Ha Long Bay officially opened again and cruises officially returned. Just one week after the typhoon, the Quang Ninh tourism sector has quickly been revived. It has received 6,000 visitors, including international tourists.

On September 13 alone, about 50 cruises served 1,000 travelers sightseeing at Ha Long Bay.

A report said that to date, 315 out of 359 cruises, restaurant boats and accommodation boats, or 88 percent of total boats, are ready to serve tourists.

According to Pham Ha, president of Lux Group, after being repaired and upgraded from the damages caused by the typhoon, Heritage Binh Chuan began receiving guests again on September 13, while Emper Cruises Legacy Ha Long, which was damaged more seriously, began serving guests on September 16. 

Both cruises have been fully occupied until the end of September and most guests have been from Europe and the US. To date, the two cruises have received six groups of travelers with 100 travelers in each group. The number of tourists is expected to be higher in October.

“We are repairing high-speed boats which carry passengers from harbors to cruises and the work is expected to finish in mid-October, The terminal at the port has just been put into operation,” Ha said.

“However, the most important thing that needs to be done immediately is clearing the environment of the bay, because there has been so much waste after the typhoon. Also, the sunk boats which still have not been salvaged may cause danger,” he explained.

Sun Group, the realtor which has many amusement parks damaged during the typhoon, reopened its Sun World Ha Long entertainment complex on September 23. Dragon Park is scheduled to open again to visitors from mid-October.

Tran Van Minh, CEO of Sun World Ha Long, said the number of visitors to the park and cable car has been stable. Most of the visitors are from South Korea and Taiwan (China), accounting for 78 percent.

Meanwhile, Hai Phong tourism needs more time to recover from the typhoon. Twenty days have elapsed, but hotels and restaurants in Cat Ba, the tourism metropolis of the city, still need more time to be rapaired.

Pham Tri Tuyen from Cat Hai district authorities told VietNamNet that the typhoon caused a loss of VND1.3 trillion. Only 30-40 percent of guesthouses and hotels in the locality are ready to receive guests. 

Pham Cong - Ngoc Ha - Hoai Anh