Tourists now have to pay a fee to visit Phu Yen Province’s major attractions, Ghenh Da Dia volcanic rock in An Ninh Dong Commune, Tuy An District, and Bai Mon-Mui Dai Lanh area in Dong Hoa District.

The Department of Culture, Sports, and Tourism of Phu Yen has decided to charge the fee as from early this year, thus taking visitors by surprise. Admission is VND10,000 per adult and VND5,000 for child aged from six to 16.

Children under six years old, people aged 80 or older and the disabled can enter the place free of charge.

Nguyen Thi Le, who visited Ghenh Da Dia on the New Year holiday, asked why the province collects the fee from this small area with basalt columns where tourists come for a short while to take photos.

Speaking to the Daily on the phone, Pham Van Bay, vice director of the department, said fee collection from these two tourist sites had been prepared since 2014 by the department, and that the provincial People’s Council approved the scheme in July 2015.

Bay explained the province had announced the fee collection scheme on local media.

The province will use the proceeds from entrance ticket sales to hire security guards, pay wages for ticket sellers and cleaning staff, and plant more trees.

Around more than 40 kilometers from Tuy Hoa City, Ghenh Da Dia volcanic rock attracts a lot of tourists thanks to its basalt columns. With more than 200 meters in length and 50 meters in width, Ghenh Da Dia was formed by lava in volcanic eruption.

Ghenh Da Dia was certified as a national scenic site in 1998. Bay said it attracted over 3,000 visitors during the New Year holiday.