With
the April 30-May 1 holidays falling on a weekend and stretching it to four
days, many people are taking the opportunity to vacation, enabling hotels and
restaurants in many popular tourist destinations to make a killing.

Room charges in places like Ha Long, Da Nang, and Nha Trang have gone up three to
five times but are still almost fully booked.

Flight and train tickets are almost sold out while Vietnam
Airlines said air fares are up 30 percent during the long weekend.

As a result, many would-be vacationers have decided to stay
at home.

Binh, a Hanoi
resident, said she could not get a room for her family in Ha Long though she
has tried several places.

All are full up despite prices ballooning to US$140 at a
four-star hotel like Ha Long Plaza against the usual $80.

“We will have to spend the holiday in Hanoi,” she said resignedly.

Khanh, another Hanoi
resident, could not find decent accommodation in Da Nang which will hold an international fireworks
festival this weekend.

Even small hotels, which usually charge just VND300,000 –
400,000 (US$ 14.5- 19.4) a day, are now demanding VND2 million, he said.

Even at those rates, there are hardly any rooms left.

Those who have managed to find rooms dread to think of what
is in store for them.

Le Mai, a Hanoian, said she and her husband had a terrible
experience while spending the 30th April vacation in Ha Long last year.

They stayed in a tiny hostel which cost VND 1 million (US$
49) a night and were stressed out by the experience.

“Ha Long’s beaches and entertainment spots were too crowded
and full of garbage while cooking was too expensive,” she said.

“Traffic was terrible and we had to walk a few kilometers
back to the hotel at night,”

Tour operators now advise vacationers to book tours and
hotels in advance and watch their belongings at crowded places like festival
sites and beaches.

Source: VNE/Tuoi Tre