Power outages cause hardship for hotels and tourists.

Nguyen Thanh Dan (living in Ho Chi Minh City) booked a new 5-star hotel in Hung Thang, Ha Long, for two weeks, but on the very first day, the hotel experienced a power outage at night. Because her young child couldn't tolerate the heat and cried a lot, she immediately had to rent another 3-star hotel in Cai Dam.

Sudden power outages in Ha Long City are not uncommon these days. On the morning of June 4th, the Bai Chay area also experienced a similar situation.

"The power outage came without prior notice. My hotel had already booked 70 rooms at the time. We called the authorities but received no answer as to when the power would be restored," a representative from Green Suites Hotel stated.

Due to the power outage, all guests canceled their reservations, and in addition to refunding approximately 600,000 VND per room, the establishment also incurred additional compensation costs for the guests. This morning, the hotel also rented a large generator and placed it right in front of the entrance to prepare for any unexpected incidents like yesterday.

In Ha Long, many hotels, guesthouses, and restaurants have had to buy or rent emergency generators. "Buying one costs about 1 billion VND. Renting one costs around 25 to 30 million VND per month. Plus a few million VND per day for fuel. Running all day, many generators can't handle it anymore," said a representative from the Bao Han Hotel on Phan Boi Chau Street, Bai Chay Ward.

Due to significant investment, many small guesthouses and hotels cannot afford to use generators. Mr. Dong, the owner of two hotels with 50 rooms in Ha Long, said he had to pay guests three times this month. On June 4th alone, his establishment "lost 30 rooms" due to a power outage. The hotel owner also had to call everywhere to find replacement rooms for guests.

According to a survey of several tourism service retailers, Ha Long has received numerous complaints about power outages from tourists recently. Ms. Hoang Tuyet, Director of Top One Travel, said that her company mainly sells 5-star hotel rooms in Ha Long, so they encounter this situation less often because high-end hotels usually invest in generators. Last week, Ms. Tuyet received two additional bookings for private villas and 3-star hotels, but they had to find alternative accommodation due to the prolonged power outage.

Ms. Tuyet advises tourists to consider booking rooms at established 4-5 star hotels that have invested in generators. Some newly opened 5-star hotels may not yet have generators, so "power outages are still common."

"The power outages this year seem more severe than in previous years," said Ms. Tuyet.

Hoang Anh, a tourist from Hanoi, booked a hotel room in Ha Long this weekend and was asked to "pay an additional 300,000 VND per night if the hotel uses a generator." Unhappy with this arrangement, she found alternative accommodation.

According to Mr. Pham Ngoc Thuy, Director of the Quang Ninh Provincial Department of Tourism, businesses operating in the province are "facing significant difficulties." Installing additional generators would incur substantial costs due to the high price of fuel. The Department of Tourism has encouraged service businesses to share the burden with the electricity sector and to strengthen backup power sources to meet the basic needs of customers.

Representatives of the 3-star Phuong Thao Marina Square Hotel with 56 rooms estimate it costs approximately 700,000-800,000 VND per hour to run a generator. In the past week alone, the hotel incurred tens of millions of VND in additional costs due to power outages lasting 40-50 hours. On June 5th, the area where the hotel is located experienced a power outage from morning until evening.

"If things continue like this, we won't make any profit," said a representative from the hotel.

Le Thi Nhung, Deputy Managing Director of Beverly Hills Ha Long, a resort combining villas and apartments, said that up to 80% of guests who booked rooms this week called to inquire about power outages. Many guests were worried and requested to cancel their reservations. Ms. Nhung said the resort has 8 villas for rent, but only 5 have generators. Over the past week, they have had to offer free room upgrades to villas with generators. Each free upgrade costs the resort approximately 5-7 million VND.

According to forecasts from the Vietnam Electricity Group (EVN), operating the power system during the peak hot months (from May to July) will be very difficult. The power system in the North faces a shortage of approximately 1,600-4,900 MW. This is due to prolonged drought and water shortages, which have reduced water flow into hydropower reservoirs. The capacity and output of wind power plants have also decreased significantly due to weak winds.

According to Quang Ninh Power Company, the North has experienced a power shortage of over 2,000 MW in recent days, forcing its subsidiaries to reduce output. On June 1st, the company had to implement rotational power cuts on 78 out of 128 medium-voltage lines in the area, from Dong Trieu to Dam Ha. On June 2nd, the company cut 186 MW, and today it cut 236 MW.

It wasn't just Ha Long; some tourists at other destinations also faced difficulties due to power outages. Pham Thi My (living in Nam Dinh) and her family, who were vacationing at the beach near the ruined church (Hai Ly, Hai Hau, Nam Dinh) on June 2nd, had to sleep in the hallway for about two hours.

"I went out into the hallway and found it cool and breezy, so I took out my pillow and lay down. I couldn't stand staying in the room," she said.

Phuong Thao is an editor at Travellive magazine. She is passionate about traveling and enjoys capturing moments with her camera in every place she visits. Travel, art, and lifestyle are Phuong Thao's favorite writing topics.

Phuong Thao