Crowded mountain climbers in Mu Cang Chai: Road congestion, overcrowded shelters

(Dan Tri) - The number of tourists flocking to Lung Cung mountain in Mu Cang Chai, Lao Cai province, at times reached up to 500 people on the top of the mountain, causing the resting huts to become crowded and the roads to become congested.

Having conquered Lung Cung mountain in Mu Cang Chai, Yen Bai (old) now in Lao Cai province, photographer Nguyen Trong Cung said this was the first time he witnessed a number of visitors beyond his imagination.

Cung's group departed from Tu Le at 7am on November 15th but did not begin their climb until nearly 10am. Each person brought their own food to fuel their journey. They had to try to speed up to arrive at the shelter before 5pm-6pm the same day.

The unprecedentedly crowded scene surprised Mr. Cung (Photo: Nguyen Trong Cung).

"There are some sections that are stuck and you have to wait 15 to 20 minutes before you can continue climbing. These are small roads, just over 2 meters wide and steep. Many people have to stop in the middle of the road, wasting both time and energy," said Mr. Cung.

The climb up takes about 7-8 hours and the descent takes an average of 3-4 hours. On the afternoon of November 16, the group had a harder time moving because of the large crowd. The rain earlier made the road slippery and muddy, slowing down the movement even more.

Talking to Dan Tri reporter, Mr. Giang A Chinh, Head of the Culture - Information Department of Nam Co commune, said that after the storms, last weekend, the beautiful and favorable weather made the number of visitors flocking to Lung Cung mountain to conquer it also increased. The number of visitors increased sharply, concentrated on the weekends from November 14 to November 16.

There are muddy roads that make moving difficult (Photo: Nguyen Trong Cung).

According to Mr. Chinh, there are currently 3 main camps in Lung Cung mountain area, serving the sleeping and living needs of tourists during the journey. The camps are in 3 different locations, 2-3km from the top of the mountain and a few kilometers apart on the trekking route (hiking through rugged natural terrain such as mountains and forests).

Previously, the shelters were built by local people to serve the herders to rest overnight, but now they have been repaired, creating a resting space for guests on their trekking journey.

The maximum capacity of the huts is about 450 seats. While the number of visitors exceeding this number will cause overcrowding and overload.

Tourists say that this coming December, when the trees on the mountain top change color, could make this place even more crowded (Photo: Character provided).

"Last year's maple leaf season in Lung Cung was affected by floods and rains, so many people had to miss it. This time the weather is dry and airy, so many tourists want to make up for it.

Therefore, last weekend, the number of visitors increased many times compared to normal. Some travel agencies organizing tours to conquer the mountain peak are also fully booked until the end of December," said a local male tour guide.

Despite the sharp increase in tourist demand, Giang A Chinh said that the local authorities cannot expand the number of rest houses because they need to consider additional mechanisms and coordinate with forest management and protection units. This is also a big challenge in the parallel development of tourism and environmental protection.

When the reporter mentioned the issue of garbage, Mr. Chinh said that at some rest stops there was garbage left behind.

However, the local government has just issued a document recommending and reminding tourists and travel agencies to raise awareness, handle all plastic waste, and not leave personal items on the mountain to preserve the environment and general landscape.

Lung Cung Mountain is a mountain with an altitude of over 2,910m, located in Nam Co commune, Lao Cai province. This place is famous as one of the beautiful and wild trekking spots in Vietnam.

This mountain attracts many climbers with its diverse landscape, especially the sea of ​​clouds in the early morning, the red maple forest in autumn, bamboo forests, reed hills and majestic waterfalls.

Visitors will start their journey at Tu San village - about 20km from Tu Le center.

Climbers can start from 3 different directions: Lung Cung village, Tu San village and Thao Chua Chai village to reach the summit. Conquerors often choose Tu San village and go back through Ta Cua Y valley and Thao Chua Chai village to pass the waterfall as well as enjoy the most beautiful mountain forest scenery of the climbing route.

Source: https://dantri.com.vn/du-lich/do-don-leo-nui-o-mu-cang-chai-un-tac-loi-di-lan-nghi-qua-tai-20251117111854366.htm