Basic HTML Version
55
timeout
Vietnam Airlines, Jean Mark Tur, who
has since moved to Hong Kong. Sadly,
this spells the end of pilot training in Vi-
etnam for the foreseeable future. How-
ever Guillaume, and other beginners
like him, will get continuous training
from the experienced team leaders of
Vietwings Hanoi.
A new paraglider costs around
VND50 million, although second hand
models can be found for as little as
VND20 million. For those who do not
own one, they can rent the club’s para-
glider for VND150,000 per flight. Mean-
while, a tandemflight costs VND500,000
per person.
Ha and his friends have undertak-
en careful geographical and meteoro-
logical research and testing and have
now found and registered six flying
areas. The flying destinations which
are licensed by the Ministry of De-
fense include Linh Truong mountain in
Thanh Hoa province, Doi Bu, Ngoc Son
Mountain in Hoa Binh province and Ta
Xua in Son La province. According to
Ha, Ta Xua is the most difficult spot
for paragliding and only highly experi-
enced pilots fly there.
Paragliding is an adventure sport
and as such it entails risk. Much de-
pends on the skills of pilots and weath-
er conditions which cannot always be
predicted exactly. “People are injured
while practicing the sport,” Ha says.
“Hand and leg sprains and breaks or
even more serious injures can occur just
because of a little wrong technique or
an unpredictable vortex.”
Ha himself received a serious injury
years ago when an unexpectedly strong
wind pulled him through bamboo and
on to a road. “After that, my whole fam-
ily forbade me to fly again. But my love
for this sport convinced them to change
their mind,” he recalls.
Since the sport came to Vietnam
nearly 20 years ago, two deaths have
been reported here - one foreigner in
2007 and last year one Vietnamese.
Despite the dangers, paragliding
has an undeniable attraction for many.
“If you love to overcome your own limits
and release yourself from every pressure
of life, the sport of paragliding is per-
fect,” says Quynh Thu, another member.
“I am addicted to it,” says Dang
Thanh Chung. “If I cannot go paraglid-
ing, I feel empty and agitated. Before
my business trips to Saigon, I will spend
the whole week with my paraglider, fly-
ing everyday.”
HOBBY
If you
love to
overcome
your own limits
and release your-
self from every
pressure of life,
the sport of para-
gliding is perfect