Tourists tell their experiences riding amphibious vehicles in Cu Lan village

Lam Dong The jeep tour vehicle in Cu Lan village tilted and almost flipped over, but the female tourist got out in time before the water flooded in.

The experience still haunts Ms. Thanh Thuy (living in Da Nang) even after 5 years. Ms. Thuy said that on the day she and her family went on a "jeep tour" at Cu Lan village tourist area, Lac Duong district, about 22 km from the center of Da Lat, it was raining heavily but the organizer announced that the car was still running normally. When they were halfway there, a large stream of water came and made the car seem like it was about to flip over.

"The drivers were very steady, I thought the car was about to flip over but they still controlled it," said Ms. Thuy.

Then, the water rose higher, causing the car to tilt. Ms. Thuy managed to get out of the car before the water was more than half full. The driver and she then walked a short distance and got on another car to go home. Ms. Thuy said she was very scared, but the driver laughed and talked as if "nothing had happened", so the female tourist at that time thought this was "normal". Ms. Thuy shared after the death of 4 Korean tourists due to being swept away by floodwaters in Cu Lan Village on October 24.

The car carrying Ms. Thuy was flooded. Photo: NVCC — The car carrying Ms. Thuy was flooded. Photo: *NVCC*

Cu Lan Village, located at the foot of Lang Biang Mountain, began welcoming visitors in 2011 and was honored by UNESCO as a "cultural tourist destination worth visiting, contributing to changing the face of tourism in Lam Dong province". Here, visitors can experience a number of activities such as team building, camping in the forest, and off-road jeep tours.

Minh Anh, Thuy's daughter, recalled being "shocked" when she saw her mother's car overturned, half submerged in water. She commented that the terrain on the tour was quite dangerous, especially in bad weather.

Also experiencing this jeep tour in 2020, Huynh Minh Hoang (living in Ho Chi Minh City) commented that this is an "interesting type of tourism". He took the trip when the weather was sunny and said that he had been to many tourist destinations in the country and the world but "had never seen a type of tourism as unique" as here.

"The feeling of going through streams and splashing water is very enjoyable. Of course, the car went through some sections with deep water and rough rocks, but I don't think it was scary," he said.

The jeep tour in Cu Lan village costs 150,000 VND per person, each vehicle carries a minimum of four people. Tourists who buy the tour will be transported on UAZ (U Oát) vehicles for a distance of more than 8 km, crossing forests, streams and difficult terrain. The cars depart one after another every few minutes, each vehicle carrying 4 people.

Responding to VnExpress , an official from the Lam Dong Department of Transport said that in 2017, an interdisciplinary inspection team inspected internal tourist vehicles in tourist areas in the area. In the Cu Lan village tourist area, many passenger vehicles did not meet technical standards.

"The inspection is not easy, we need to coordinate with the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism because they only drive on internal roads, not on public roads," this person said. The reporter contacted the Traffic Safety Committee of Lam Dong province to ask about the current situation of passenger vehicles in Cu Lan village but has not received a response.

Cu Lan Village tourist area has temporarily suspended business and service activities after four Koreans died.

Tu Nguyen

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