On December 7, 2023, the 16th session of the 16th Provincial People's Council approved Resolution 31 (Resolution 31) on naming roads and streets in Sa Pa town, effective from January 1, 2024. Following the direction of the Provincial People's Committee, Sa Pa's agencies and departments are completing procedures to install street signs and disseminate information to the public. However, the naming and renaming of some roads in Sa Pa town still faces many challenges.
In Sa Pa, there are roads nearly ten kilometers long that are interrupted in the middle by other streets, yet the final section retains its old name; some roads and streets have the same name, causing locals and tourists to frequently get confused about addresses. Furthermore, in some central residential areas of the town, people still face the problem of "houses without numbers, streets without names"... These inadequacies related to street names in Sa Pa town make tourists feel lost in a "maze" of roads and streets, while also causing considerable inconvenience to the lives of the local people.
The road "appears and disappears"
For long-time residents of Sa Pa town, Dien Bien Phu road is extremely familiar. It is one of the longest and oldest roads in Sa Pa to date. Dien Bien Phu road coincides with National Highway 4D, stretching 6.5 km from the intersection of Group 1, Sa Pa Ward, to the cable car station leading to the summit of Phan Si Pang and O Quy Ho road, also in Group 1, O Quy Ho Ward.
However, the reality is that the Dien Bien Phu road leading to the town center is interrupted by many other streets, causing confusion for locals and tourists trying to find specific addresses, especially for those visiting Sa Pa for the first time.
Previously, whenever he visited Sa Pa, Mr. Dinh Duy Them, a tourist from Si Ma Cai district, usually chose to travel by taxi or bus, so he didn't pay attention to the routes. This time, he drove himself to Sa Pa and found the street and road naming system here confusing and complicated.
“My friend arranged to have breakfast at a restaurant on Dien Bien Phu Street. As soon as I arrived in Sa Pa, I encountered Dien Bien Phu Street. However, when I reached the intersection leading to the market, I didn't see the address my friend sent, and I couldn't continue along that road because it was a one-way street. After my friend gave me directions, I learned that after going to the end of National Highway N1, I would see Dien Bien Phu Street at the next intersection. I think that if it's a road, it needs to be continuous; if it's interrupted, it should be renamed. The road just disappears and then reappears," said Mr. Them.
Houses without numbers, streets without names.
Road N1, located in Group 1, Sa Pa Ward, is also a main road leading to the town center, passing through the Sa Pa market area, so the volume of people and vehicles passing through here is very high. N1 is the technical name given on the project map by the design unit when the road was built. Normally, when roads are completed and have a large population living there, people's opinions are sought to name the road. However, Road N1 has been completed and in use for 7-8 years now but has not yet been named. Currently, nearly 100 households live on both sides of Road N1, most of them businesses. The lack of a road name and house numbers causes many inconveniences for the lives of the residents.
Every day, my family usually imports and ships many items, but the street doesn't have house numbers, making it difficult to provide addresses to customers or shippers. Almost every household along the N1 road faces a similar situation. Residents have proposed naming the street and assigning house numbers in neighborhood meetings and voter outreach sessions, but to date, the N1 road has not been renamed.
Streets and roads with the same name
In Group 5, Sa Pa Ward, there is a road named Thac Bac (Silver Waterfall), starting from the five-way intersection of Thach Son, Xuan Vien, Hoang Dieu, and Fansipan roads, and ending at the three-way intersection with Dien Bien Phu road, in Group 3B, Phan Si Pang Ward. Not far from there is also Thac Bac Street, starting at the three-way intersection with Thac Bac Street (at the Lacasa Hotel) and ending at the same three-way intersection with Thac Bac Street (at the Hoang Ha Hotel). The road and street sharing the same name, and being so close together, has led to many amusing and sometimes frustrating situations for locals and tourists alike.
The duplication of names has caused considerable inconvenience for many households living on Thac Bac Street and surrounding streets. For example, a guest might book a room at a guesthouse on Thac Bac Street but be taken by taxi to a guesthouse with the same address on Thac Bac Street, and vice versa.
"We often encounter cases where tourists mistakenly go to the wrong guesthouse, hotel, or restaurant located on two different streets and alleys near Thac Bac. Such name duplication easily causes confusion, wastes time, and leaves a bad impression on tourists," Mr. Cuong said.
Sa Pa is a popular destination for both domestic and international tourists, so it's natural that guesthouses, hotels, restaurants, and resorts are listed on search engines like Booking and Agoda to make it easier for visitors to book accommodation. Therefore, the duplication or slight differences in punctuation between street names and place names can cause unnecessary misunderstandings and inconveniences. For example, Sa Pa ward or Sa Pa ward are often listed as Sa Pa on international websites; Thac Bac street or Thac Bac road are both listed as Thac Bac street (both are inner-city streets).
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