The incident occurred early July 1 in Ta Phin Commune (formerly Trung Chai), Lao Cai Province, when a large volume of soil and rock cascaded down a hillside, burying the area between the operations building and the toll booth on the BOT route linking the Noi Bai–Lao Cai Expressway to the Sa Pa tourist area.
According to local residents, the landslide originated from the uphill talus of Provincial Road 155. The debris then continued to slide further down, engulfing the entire surface of National Highway 4D (the old road), cutting off both routes and paralyzing the arterial road between the provincial center and the popular highland resort town.
As of 10 a.m., hundreds of vehicles remained stranded, forming a 3-kilometer-long traffic jam on the uphill side.
Mr. Nguyen Quang Luu, Deputy General Director of Lao Cai–Sa Pa BOT Investment JSC, said prolonged rainfall starting June 30 had triggered the initial slope failure. In response, the operator proactively closed the uphill lane that same day for safety reasons. However, by the morning of July 1, conditions had worsened dramatically. The landslide completely buried the road surface, damaging wave guardrails, electric poles, and the toll booth cabin.
The landslide struck an area previously affected during the aftermath of typhoon Yagi in 2024. A household situated below the site was impacted, but residents were safely evacuated in time. No casualties were reported.
By midday, maintenance crews were still racing against the clock to clear the debris. A partial reopening of the route had been achieved to allow limited vehicle movement, though persistent rainfall continued to hamper recovery efforts.
