What disasters await vacationers?

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 food 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.