The road to the sea this season...

In Dong Hoi this season, gathering at the Nhat Le beach embankment is a great way to enjoy the natural beauty for free and savor delicious fresh seafood. Not only tourists, but even locals are eager to get in their cars and head there immediately. However, some roads leading to the beach are often congested during peak tourist season, making travel difficult.

Many roads lack parking spaces for cars and motorbikes - Photo: C.HOP

" The road to the beach is very congested this season."

The Nhật Lệ beach embankment, located on Trương Pháp street in Đồng Hới ward, is home to many famous seafood restaurants known for their delicious, affordable, and high-quality food. Therefore, calling this street a "paradise" for seafood cuisine is no exaggeration. Because we're familiar with the taxi driver, whenever we need to go somewhere, we just call him and he's there immediately. His responsibility is to take us there and pick us up, regardless of whether it's early morning or late at night, while our responsibilities are self-evident.

Outside of summer, when he heard about a ride to the beach, he was overjoyed, as if he'd found a "golden customer," because each trip meant he'd met his daily quota. But lately, whenever he took us there, he'd advise against it: "Drinking is drinking anywhere, why go all the way to the beach?" We'd retort: ​​"Oh, come on, Uncle, going further benefits you, why are you being so nosy?" He'd just smile and hum a tune: "The road to the beach this season... is beautiful."

In the afternoon rush hour, the road from Thuan Ly overpass to Nhat Le 1 bridge has sections where traffic moves inch by inch due to congestion. After getting past the traffic jam, turning from the intersection at the beginning of Nhat Le 1 bridge onto Nguyen Du street to Truong Phap street, one might expect the road to be clear, but it's not. The road is also crowded with all kinds of cars and buses, big and small. It feels like the road has narrowed. And it really is narrow, because the section of Truong Phap street from Hai Thanh bridge to the intersection with Le Thanh Dong street is only one lane in one direction. Just one large tourist bus is enough to make the road incredibly congested. Cars move at breakneck speed.

My taxi driver friend analyzed: "A whole stretch of beach with restaurants and entertainment services several kilometers long, but only a few roads connect to the beach. How can it not be congested? The section from National Highway 1 (Ly Thanh Tong Street) to Cao Thang Street is too narrow. Right at the turn into this road, there's a 'bottleneck' blocking the way, making the road no narrower than an alley. The two roads Le Thanh Dong and Dong Hai from Phong Thuy culvert are in a similar situation. Not to mention the frustrating turns from Ly Thuong Kiet Street onto these two roads."

Every time a tourist car turns towards the beach, many vehicles get stuck in traffic. Do you see why I'm so worried? In recent years, people from other provinces and cities mainly travel by private car, so the traffic volume is very high. As for us taxi drivers, we dread getting a ride out here. We only feel happy when a customer books a ride after 10 PM because the roads only become "clear" then. Then, the young man adapted the lyrics of the song he sang when he set off: "The road to the beach this season... is very congested."

Sidewalks and roads have become... "private property".

It's easy to see that along the entire Nhat Le beach, there are very few parking spaces, and those that do exist are very small. As a result, vehicles have to turn the road and sidewalks into parking areas. But drivers should be careful and observe their surroundings, because if you park in front of a restaurant or shop without using their services... watch out! For a long time now, the sidewalk in front of any restaurant or shop has become the "private property" of that establishment. No regulatory body has issued such an absurd regulation. Only the owners of these establishments have created such unwritten "rules."

Once, I argued with a restaurant staff member about this, asking if parking was prohibited. The staff member retorted, "I paid rent for this spot; if you want to park, go somewhere else." To avoid further trouble, I had to drive around a few more times to find a parking spot. But if you've already chosen a restaurant, you can simply park and walk in to enjoy your meal, and the owner will be incredibly polite and welcoming, treating you like a VIP.

The sidewalk along the embankment is already difficult to park on, and it's even harder on the opposite side, as that space is occupied by hotels and restaurants. Even swimming and enjoying seafood isn't easy. If even we locals have to deal with this, surely tourists shouldn't have to endure the same inconvenience.

The narrow Truong Phap road is frequently congested and experiences traffic jams - Photo: C. Hop

Opening a path to the sea

Speaking of the roads leading to the sea, it's worth remembering that in the former Quang Binh province, everyone knew Mr. Tran Su, the former Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee, during the period when the province had just returned to its old administrative boundaries. He was known as a decisive and far-sighted leader.

The story goes that, when it was first restored to its old administrative boundaries, Dong Hoi was just a "wasteland," with no houses or roads. At that time, Cuban experts planned to develop Dong Hoi into a town.

Holding the urban planning map designed by foreign experts in his hands, he declared that the road through the town should be widened to twice its original size. It's said that because of this, he was sued, with the argument that the town was tiny, sparsely populated, and the wide road would only be suitable for... cattle. But he remained adamant: "If I had the capital, I would widen it three times!"

If only his wishes had been supported and realized back then, then today, with the rapid pace of urbanization, the people of Dong Hoi wouldn't have to "live with" traffic jams and congestion, especially during peak hours.

Some traffic bottlenecks at intersections have been addressed by widening the roads and narrowing the sidewalks. But that's only a temporary solution. During rush hour, traffic police still have to direct traffic to prevent congestion, but the roads remain... congested as usual. Now, the traffic in Dong Hoi truly makes even the most powerful trucks crawl along – that's the reality.

Dong Hoi (formerly) was a coastal city with a prime location in the region. After more than 20 years as a city, it seems it has yet to break free from the idea of ​​"small alleys and narrow streets" to open up sufficiently large roads connecting to the sea. Or perhaps there are plans, but those roads remain on paper. This brings to mind the famous quote by Mr. Tran Su when he began building Dong Hoi town: "I'm not asking the Prime Minister for money, I'm only asking for mechanisms." Now, Dong Hoi is the administrative center of the newly merged Quang Tri province. The urban space of the Dong Hoi center must be planned comprehensively to maximize its potential and coastal advantages, ensuring unified, transparent, and consistent integration with the institutional development orientation of the region.

This serves as a foundation for shaping a modern economic development model, connecting regions along the East-West and North-South economic corridors. For many years, connecting roads in Dong Hoi have been stuck in a rut, with bridges waiting for roads, roads waiting for bridges, or bridges completed long ago but roads still nowhere to be seen. Could this be the very mechanism that former Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee Tran Su had previously desired (?!).

Duong Cong Hop

Source: https://baoquangtri.vn/duong-ra-bien-mua-nay-195711.htm