Illegal cafes block traffic in Hai Van pass

One such cafe can be seen at a sharp bend in the pass next to a path reserved for rescue purposes. The path itself has become a parking lot for the cafe’s customers.

“Every time people drive through here, drivers have a tough time as it’s a sharp turn,” Hieu, who often drives through the pass, says.

“Now we have to avoid the vehicles backing out from the rescue path. Very dangerous …”

In the middle of the pass are four cafes next to each other that attract people coming for a panoramic view of Da Nang and Van village on the coast. Several cafe owners even built cement floors to create parking lots and places for customers to sit on.

Over 10 such cafes can be seen on a 10-km stretch in Lien Chieu District. Except for some of them, which have been there for a long time and have proper parking lots, others have vehicles parked right in the pass.

During Da Nang’s historic rains in October 2022, the pass suffered erosion and several of the cafes were damaged as a result. But they resumed business after a short while.

Ha Thuc Nhon, chairman of the Hoa Hiep Bac Ward People’s Committee, saying the cafes intrude on forest lands and violate traffic safety corridor regulations, claimed authorities crack down on such violations but they always return.

The local traffic police have called on the Da Nang People’s Council for years to check all the cafes in the pass and close down those that violate rules.

But nothing has been done.

The 20-km pass connects Da Nang with Thua Thien-Hue Province. Though there’s the Hai Van Tunnel many people choose to take the pass for its sights.