Ha Long luxury train fails to get enough custom

HA NOI — The luxury Ha Long Express train service has been discontinued just one year after opening due to lack of demand.

The Ha Noi Railway Company was contracted by South Korean firm Dongrim to operate the service and had a total investment of almost US$1 million. The six-carriage train could seat 310 passengers in leather upholstered luxury, and was equipped with bars and 29 inch-LCD televisions. It was air-conditioned throughout.

The service, which ran from Gia Lam station in Long Bien District of Ha Noi to Ha Long City in northeastern Quang Ninh Province, was launched in April 2009.

Dongrim said the service targeted tourists heading for Ha Long Bay. However, due to lack of demand, the train service was losing money hand over fist – despite the fact that tickets were reasonably priced at between $15 (for tourists) and $5 (local passengers), the company said.

"There were times when there were just five or six customers travelling on the train," said Nguyen Van Dung, a member of staff at Gia Lam station.

Le Hai Long, who is in charge of Dongrim's marketing in Viet Nam, said the infrequency of trains and the unsociable time table had proved unpopular with customers. The Ha Long Express travelled between Ha Noi and Ha Long just once a day, departing the capital at 7am and returning from the port city at 3pm.

"Tourists only counted for a small number of customers. We had to rely on regular domestic commuters, most of whom preferred to take the bus, which runs every fifteen minutes and is quicker," Long said.

Despite its name, the Ha Long Express took five hours to travel from Ha Noi to Ha Long City – a journey a bus can do in 3 and a half hours.

The rail operator blamed the track. "The rail track that Viet Nam often uses is one metre wide, but this train uses 1.435-metre wide rails. So it has to follow the route where the track is wide enough, which entails travelling farther," Long said.

Nguyen Van Binh, vice director of the Ha Noi Railway Company, said greater investment was needed to make the luxury service more attractive to customers.

"We tried to attract foreign investment in order to get better use of the railroad and station facilities but the business was run independently by Dongrim."

The train's carriages were originally used to transport passengers on the Seoul underground. Binh's company was hired to refurbish the carriages for use in Viet Nam.

Binh said his company had tried and failed to get Dongrim to reopen the service.

"At the moment, the Viet Nam Railway Company does not plan to broaden the railroad to 1,435-metre-wide to meet the needs of the Ha Long Express," he said.

Dongrim's Long however said the company would try to reopen the service next February. "We are also thinking of opening another route to the central regions but will have to consider the plan carefully to ensure we can attract enough customers," he said. — VNS

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Street karaoke sounds sour note

Coffee vendors on the streets surrounding My Dinh national stadium in Hanoi often attract young students with their cheap prices and wide open spaces, but now they are attracting even larger crowds with a new service - street karaoke.

Shops on Le Duc Tho street are packed with people at the weekends. The shops, which normally only consist of colourful plastic chairs and tables, are now equipped with modern projectors, huge speakers, wide screens and microphones, all vital components of a lively karaoke stage.

Customers take turns to use a remote control to select songs or at some venues, they write the names of the songs that they wish to sing on a list, just like in any karaoke bar. While one customer sings, the rest of the customers sing along or clap their hands to the music.

"It felt great because I was like a real singer on a stage," said Tong Thi Tu Ngan, a senior student from the Labour and Social Affairs University . "Singing in traditional karaoke bars is nothing new, but this is different and it's cheap too," she added.

Customers at these venues only have to pay for their drinks which range from 10,000 to 15,000 VND each (0.5-0.75 USD), but get to sing for free. Sometimes they might have to pay an extra fee of 10,000 or 20,000 VND (0.5-1 USD) for the night, but it's still much cheaper than a regular karaoke bar.

The original idea for the service came about two months ago at the end of the World Cup. "During the World Cup, to attract more customers, I bought a projector and a screen to show the games. When the competition was over, we thought why not get loud speakers and turn it into a karaoke service, instead of letting the projectors sit wastefully in storage," said Nguyen Thi An, a shop owner.

Other owners who can't afford the equipment, rent it for around 400,000-500,000 VND (20-25 USD) per night to keep up with the competition.

As the craze has grown in popularity, residents in the local area have started to complain about the noise. "Singers get the most excited from 9-10pm. The music is so loud that we can't get any sleep," said a resident who wished to remain anonymous. "We reported it to local authorities but it seems that they haven't got involved," he said.

Deputy head of the Culture and Tourism Department Nguyen Duc Hoa said his department plans to inspect the venues. "If they violate regulations, they will be fined," he said.

Vu Xuan Thanh, chief inspector of the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism said however, this is a new kind of business and has not been accounted for in any laws. "But there is a regulation for karaoke bars that says they have to be sound proof, include a fire prevention system and be larger than 20 square metres," he said.

Thanh added that any karaoke business has to be approved by authorities under the regulation.

"Even though many shop owners do not charge customers for the karaoke service, they still have to follow the regulations, otherwise they will be punished," he said./.

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Street karaoke sounds sour note

People drink, and sing karaoke, on the streets surrounding My Dinh National Stadium in Ha Noi.The city authorities are planning to tighten inspections of this type of business. — File Photo

HA NOI — Coffee vendors on the streets surrounding My Dinh national stadium in Ha Noi often attract young students with their cheap prices and wide open spaces, but now they are attracting even larger crowds with a new service - street karaoke.

Shops on Le Duc Tho street are packed with people at the weekends. The shops, which normally only consist of colourful plastic chairs and tables, are now equipped with modern projectors, huge speakers, wide screens and microphones, all vital components of a lively karaoke stage.

Customers take turns to use a remote control to select songs or at some venues, they write the names of the songs that they wish to sing on a list, just like in any karaoke bar. While one customer sings, the rest of the customers sing along or clap their hands to the music.

"It felt great because I was like a real singer on a stage," said Tong Thi Tu Ngan, a senior student from the Labour and Social Affairs University. "Singing in traditional karaoke bars is nothing new, but this is different and it's cheap too," she added.

Customers at these venues only have to pay for their drinks which range from VND10,000 to 15,000 each (US$0.5-0.75), but get to sing for free. Sometimes they might have to pay an extra fee of VND10,000 or 20,000 ($0.5-1) for the night, but it's still much cheaper than a regular karaoke bar.

The original idea for the service came about two months ago at the end of the World Cup. "During the World Cup, to attract more customers, I bought a projector and a screen to show the games. When the competition was over, we thought why not get loud speakers and turn it into a karaoke service, instead of letting the projectors sit wastefully in storage," said Nguyen Thi An, a shop owner.

Other owners who can't afford the equipment, rent it for around VND400,000-500,000 ($20-25) per night to keep up with the competition.

As the craze has grown in popularity, residents in the local area have started to complain about the noise. "Singers get the most excited from 9-10pm. The music is so loud that we can't get any sleep," said a resident who wished to remain anonymous. "We reported it to local authorities but it seems that they haven't got involved," he said.

Deputy head of the Culture and Tourism Department Nguyen Duc Hoa said his department plans to inspect the venues. "If they violate regulations, they will be fined," he said.

Vu Xuan Thanh, chief inspector of the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism said however, this is a new kind of business and has not been accounted for in any laws. "But there is a regulation for karaoke bars that says they have to be sound proof, include a fire prevention system and be larger than 20 square metres," he said.

Thanh added that any karaoke business has to be approved by authorities under the regulation.

"Even though many shop owners do not charge customers for the karaoke service, they still have to follow the regulations, otherwise they will be punished," he said. — VNS

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