A Da Lat road closure and a second pass on emergency status are disrupting the two main routes into the city this week — one landslide cut off a key southern route entirely, and a second, already-troubled pass was raised to emergency status. If you’re driving to Da Lat from the coast or from Ho Chi Minh City, it’s worth checking current road conditions before you set out.
What’s Behind the Da Lat Road Closure
On the afternoon of September 23, a landslide fully severed Gia Bac Pass on National Highway 28 — the main route connecting Phan Thiet to Da Lat. Heavy rain sent hundreds of cubic meters of soil and rock down onto a roughly 1-kilometer stretch of road near Km50+1, and the slope on the opposite side of the road is also considered unstable. Authorities have closed both ends of the pass to all traffic and are rerouting vehicles; cleanup work can’t safely begin yet because rain in the area is ongoing. No casualties have been reported.
The same day, Prenn Pass on National Highway 20 — the main gateway route from Ho Chi Minh City — was raised to an official emergency declaration after its eighth landslide since June at the same unstable slope. We covered the first Prenn Pass closure here; this is an escalation of that same ongoing situation rather than a new incident.
The wider Lam Dong region has seen concrete flooding impacts alongside the road closures: six households evacuated in Bao Lam 3 commune, roughly 7 hectares of coffee and durian crops flooded, a culvert overtopped on National Highway 55, and erosion damaging four houses plus a stretch of road in Phan Thiet ward.
Why This Matters for Visitors
Da Lat is one of the most popular hill-station destinations in Vietnam, and these two roads are the primary ways in for anyone driving rather than flying. With Gia Bac Pass (the Phan Thiet route) fully closed and Prenn Pass (the Ho Chi Minh City route) under an active emergency declaration, road access into Da Lat is more constrained than usual right now, even though the city itself has not reported flooding or damage.
What Travelers Should Do
If you’re driving to Da Lat from Phan Thiet, plan on Gia Bac Pass being closed and check for an official reopening before relying on that route. If you’re coming from Ho Chi Minh City via Prenn Pass, build in extra time and watch for local traffic guidance, since the road remains open but under heightened landslide risk. Flying into Lien Khuong Airport remains unaffected by either closure and is the most reliable option while the rain continues. As with the rest of central Vietnam this week, conditions are moving quickly, so check current status close to your travel date rather than relying on this alone.
Update, September 27: A separate, smaller landslide hit Dai Ninh Pass on National Highway 28B in Phan Son Commune around 5pm on September 27, sending soil and rock onto the road. Unlike Gia Bac Pass and Prenn Pass below, traffic on NH28B has stayed open in both directions — drivers just need to slow down through the debris zone. No injuries were reported. This is now a third access route into the Da Lat highlands affected by landslides this month, though the least severe of the three.
Update, September 29
A fourth route into Da Lat is now affected. Mimosa Pass on National Highway 20 (Km227+070-150) developed a roughly 20-50 meter longitudinal crack and subsidence from this year’s heavy rains, first spotted around September 25-26 and worsening through September 27-28. Lam Dong authorities ordered emergency widening on September 28 — extending the road about 150m by 5.2m, with new pavement, guardrails, and signage — with a hard deadline of October 3, 2026, timed to be ready before the 11th Da Lat Flower Festival. The pass remains passable but sits in an active construction/safety zone, so travelers should expect lane restrictions and possible delays on this route into and out of Da Lat through early October. (SGGP English; Thanh Nien)
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