Uaz car overturned, 5 Korean tourists injured: Warning of unsafety from modified old cars at Mui Dinh sand hill

An unregistered, unlicensed Uaz carrying tourists in Mui Dinh - Photo: AN ANH

Authorities in Ninh Thuan province are coordinating to handle complaints from Korean tourists whose family members traveled to the province and were taken by Uaz car to visit Mui Dinh sand hill (in Phuoc Dinh commune, Thuan Nam district) at the end of February 2025. While going downhill, the car overturned, injuring 5 people on board. One of them was a woman who was seriously injured.

According to Tuoi Tre Online, on March 15 and 16, hundreds of domestic and foreign tourists came to visit and experience Mui Dinh sand hill. At the LX business, a long line of pink cars, mostly old Uaz cars, were waiting to serve tourists.

Insecurity from old Uaz cars, modified cars to carry tourists

The representative of the LX business household said that every day a travel agency will bring guests and the household will negotiate to take guests to visit Mui Dinh sand hill.

"The price for each tour is 450,000 - 900,000 VND, depending on the type of vehicle the tourist requests" - said a person from the LX business household.

According to the reporter's observations, most of these vehicles do not have license plates. There are no seat belts on either the driver's or passenger's seats. There are also no inspection stamps on the vehicles. The front of the vehicle, the cockpit, and the seats remain intact. The entire trunk has been cut away.

An old 16-seat car was converted into a tourist vehicle at Mui Dinh sand hill - Photo: AN ANH

A driver named H. admitted that 50% of the vehicles in operation are not registered or inspected. Some have license plates, some do not, and they are only attached when... there is an inspection team.

"These vehicles mainly operate only on sand dunes, not on the road so they are not registered or inspected. Each vehicle costs about 50 million VND" - Mr. H. said.

Tourist D.D.Q. from Bien Hoa City (Dong Nai) said that at the end of February, he and his group of friends went to Mui Dinh sand hill to visit and experience. However, sitting in modified cars without registration stamps made the whole group worried and uneasy.

"The tourist landscape here is very beautiful and wild. But the tourist vehicles look like they are out of date. Every time the vehicle goes up or down the hill, I feel extremely worried," Mr. Q. confided.

Correction to maintain Mui Dinh tourism image

Speaking to Tuoi Tre Online , Ms. Nguyen Thi Xuan Cuong - Vice Chairman of the People's Committee of Thuan Nam district - said that the locality had previously issued many documents advising households not to use vehicles that were not qualified for tourism activities.

However, due to actual needs, this situation still occurs. On the other hand, businesses are spontaneous and coordinate with tourism agencies to find ways to transport tourists to the sand dunes, so it is very difficult to control.

Long line of old Uaz vehicles operating to transport tourists at Mui Dinh sand hill - Photo: AN ANH

According to Ms. Cuong, there are currently 12 households with 80 vehicles providing tourism services in Mui Dinh sand hill (Phuoc Dinh commune), of which only more than 50% of the vehicles are registered and inspected.

"In the immediate future, the district will direct the People's Committee of Phuoc Dinh commune to organize a conference to inform, propagate and have business households sign a commitment to comply with legal regulations when operating tourist vehicles," said Ms. Cuong.

According to Ms. Cuong, the demand for tourism at Mui Dinh sand hill is currently high, especially among international tourists . This is also a highlight for local tourism. Therefore, in the long term, the district will propose to the province to open a common route for tourism activities at Mui Dinh sand hill.

"The district also directed the establishment of cooperatives, with the core being the above mentioned tourism businesses so that they can self-manage and supervise each other, in order to build a healthy tourism environment, leaving a good impression on tourists," said Ms. Cuong.

Who is responsible for the Uaz car overturning at Mui Dinh sand hill that injured 5 Koreans?

Regarding the incident where a Uaz car carrying 5 Korean tourists overturned due to the driver speeding while visiting Mui Dinh sand dunes, Mui Dinh Jeep Tour business has provided 150 million VND in support.

According to the information we have, the unit that brought the above Korean tourist group to visit and experience Mui Dinh sand hill is Good Day Venaja Company Limited in Nha Trang (Khanh Hoa).

Discussing this content, Mr. Cung Quynh Anh - Deputy Director of Khanh Hoa Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism - said that the department is waiting for the relevant parties to report specifically on the incident. He said that the above Uaz car overturning incident happened in Ninh Thuan and was in charge of the organizing unit (Mui Dinh Jeep Tour business household).

However, Mr. Anh also said that the company that took the guests, Good Day Venaja LLC, still had part of the responsibility.

On March 17, Tuoi Tre Online went directly to the headquarters of Good Day Venaja Company Limited to request to exchange some related information. However, the company said that the leader was on a business trip and could not answer the press about the above incident.

According to the Ninh Thuan Province Department of Construction, Jeeps, Uaz, and off-road vehicles operating at the above-mentioned tourist attractions are managed by local authorities. Authorities will only handle cases where these vehicles are found on the road without meeting legal requirements.

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AN ANH - NGUYEN HOANG

Source: https://tuoitre.vn/lat-xe-uaz-5-du-khach-han-bi-thuong-canh-bao-mat-an-toan-tu-dan-xe-cu-do-che-o-doi-cat-mui-dinh-20250317150055691.htm