Long cable car system set to run next month
Update: Feb 25, 2009
Ba Na Hills Resort in the central city of Danang says it will bring into service a cable car system that links the base with the top of Ba Na Mountain in the region from March 25, after 14 months of construction and test running.

The company says 62 among the total 94 cabins will be put into service for the opening, giving travelers a chance to experience and contemplate the mountainous landscapes from above. It will take some 15 minutes for the cable car to cover a 5km-long distance from the foot of the mountain, which is located some 25km from Danang City.

A representative of Ba Na Hills Resort said the company invested some US$500 million to turn the famous mountain into a tourist destination, among which some VND300 billion was used for the cable car construction.

Besides, there are some hotels and villas on the mountain with 200 guest rooms which are designed from two-star standard to five-star one.

The cable car system is among services that were highlighted in a road show organized here in HCMC last Thursday by Danang City’s Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism to introduce and to tap the central province’s tourism potentials.

Nguyen Phuc Linh, deputy director of the department, said the province was ready for the second international fireworks competition which will take place from March 27 to 28.

This year, there are five competitors coming from Spain, Australia, China, the Philippines and the host Vietnam.

Linh said the global economic turndown was exposing more challenges to the provincial tourism, thus a positive cooperation was a must for tour operators in designing low-cost tours to attract travelers to destinations around the country in response to the national tourism promotion initiated by the Vietnam National Administration of Tourism.

Indochina Airlines says it will support the province program by offering a discount from 30 to 40% on flights from HCMC to Danang for tour operators, not for individual travelers.

The private air carrier says it will save from 10 to 20% of the total number of seats, or some 2,000 to 3,000 seats per month, to support the program.
SGT