Camping, outdoor activities banned at tourist sites near Da Lat on flooding, landslide fears

This is to ensure safety during the ongoing rainy season, they said.

The two sites near Da Lat are surrounded by green pine forests and diverse ecosystems, making them ideal camping sites, but many drowning accidents occur there mostly involving tourists on impromptu camping tours, they said.

The authorities also banned camping-related activities in areas prone to flash floods and landslides after many tourists and tour operators organized such activities on mountains and along streams without permission from local authorities.

On August 30 a group of 17 teenagers went camping along what was a small stream near the Ankroet hydropower dam in Lam Dong’s Lac Duong District.

Sudden downpours caused its water level to rise, and 10 of the group risked their lives and waded through the now-swollen stream to return home while the remaining seven remained stuck in the middle of a forest until locals rescued them.

Da Lat, famous for its year-round cool climate and French heritage sites, was flooded during the National Day holidays last week, with the downtown area being under nearly a meter of water.