In addition to pedicabs, Hue will soon have an additional convertible bus service. Photo: Hoang Hai

An attractive product

City tour by convertible bus (also known as "hop on hop off") is an attractive tourist product which has been developed in many countries around the world. In Vietnam, this product was launched in Ho Chi Minh City in 2015. After the convertible bus service was put into operation, exploring the city named after Uncle Ho by convertible bus has quickly become a product appealing to a large number of tourists and indispensable in the city tours (tours around the city) in this city.

Since 2017, the product has been developed by Danang City and now is being promoted in Hoi An City. By the end of May 2018, Hanoi had officially put this service into operation to meet tourists’ needs.

In Hue, the city tour service by convertible bus will be invested in by Ha Noi Tourism Joint Stock Company Duong Thi Cong Ly, Director of Hanoi Tourism Joint Stock Company - Hue Branch, says that the procedures for launching the service were basically completed. The instructions are awaited from the Ministry of Transport because a convertible bus is a new type of traffic. Convertible buses are equipped with the state-of-the-art amenities such as free Wi-Fi, USB charging port, surveillance camera system, safety warning for tourists and so on.

Mr. Truong Thanh Minh, Director of the Tourism Promotion Information Center, says that by a convertible bus with a nearly-3- meter height, tourists can explore the city in the most convenient way. Tourists can visit Hue by pedicab, bike, and motorbike and so on, but by convertible bus, tourists’ feelings about the city will be totally different. Every time tourists come to the world-famous tourist cities, they experience this service, so the product is expected to attract tourists, creating the highlight for Hue.”

It is known that when using the "hop on hop off" bus tour, with one ticket only, a tourist can get on or off all the buses, stop at any sightseeing site, and the sightseeing time is of  tourists’ choice. The highlight of the upcoming Hue bus service is the integration of voice-over content with multi-language support equipment, which makes it easy for international tourists to understand the culture, people, and history of Hue without a guide.

According to the investment company, the roadmap has been made available, promising to be a new city tour in Hue. In particular, the bus route is expected to operate even at night, thereby creating new services, contributing to attracting tourists by night.

Travel by convertible bus promises to create an attraction for Hue. Photo: Nguyen Hung

Good preparation is needed

Although Hue is expected to have one more new product, it encounters some difficulties to overcome from the fact that some localities have exploited this service. The wiring in some routes is quite intricate; the streets are lined with big trees with large canopy, so because of their height, the buses can be entangled. Some streets are narrow in width while a convertible bus is quite large; therefore, if the route and time are inappropriate, it is very easy to lead to traffic congestion.

Ms. Duong Thi Cong Ly says that during the survey to build the tour, the company has considered the options to overcome the difficulties. In the short term, the tour route gives priority to the central streets with a lot of attractions and advantages in traffic. In case some attractions are inaccessible, the company also made the plan of parking at the nearest location for tourists to walk to. Of course, this distance is also calculated accordingly. At night, the number of routes can be reduced, and the main routes at the central axis of the city are flexibly increased to satisfy tourists’ requirements.

A convertible bus is a product many tourists choose to visit Da Nang. Photo: Nguyen Hung

The leader of Department of Tourism says that the sector will create favorable conditions for the business to create new tourism products.  Worthy of concern is the parking in the central streets.  The sector will coordinate with the Department of Transport and the business to agree on the best options to operate the tour well and ensure traffic safety.

 

A "Hop on hop off" renowned tourist bus picks up and drops tourists at famous tourism sites in the city. The difference of the "hop on hop off" tour is that tourists have the right to choose their destination according to the schedule available.

By Duc Quang