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H
elicopter tours and air taxi services are new concepts
in Vietnam that have until now only been accessed
by the hyper-rich who are viewed as lavish spenders.
Vietnam’s maiden helicopter tourist flight took off in
Quang Ninh province in 2008. That year, a total of 200
flying hours were clocked. Next to come on the scene was
Danang in 2010, but even now there are only two-three
flights each month in this central coast hotspot.
A tiny minority of super-rich pay for helicopter tours,
but the bulk of flights have been short pleasure trips,
reaching a height of around 150 meters and lasting just a
few minutes. Nevertheless, tourists on these tours will be
able to take in spectacular panoramic views and experi-
ence the utterly foreign feeling that only taking flight in a
helicopter provide.
Tran Xuan Dinh, director of Northern Service Flight
Company (NSFC), believes that helicopters can help to di-
versify tourism and add more interesting choices to itiner-
aries. He also says that demand is increasing - a sentiment
echoed by agents such as Exotissimo, Phuong Hoang and
Hanoitourist.
Aimed at the high income tourists, especially foreign-
ers, helicopter tourism is seen by some as a way of increas-
ing international arrivals to Vietnam and also upping their
expenditure.
Luu Duc Ke, director of Hanoitourist says: “Between
the 300 international travel agents in Vietnam, we can find
customers for this service.”
BARRIERS TO LIFT OFF
Because of the high price, the service is still considered
an extreme luxury. A 15-minute flight in Halong Bay costs
around VND3 million per guest, while a round trip from
Hanoi to Halong can cost VND10 million per guest for a
group of at least 20 people.
For the air taxi service, prices range from around
VND80 million to over VND150 million for one hour. With
Vitours, to hire one MI 17 helicopter (24 seats) for an hour,
it can cost over VND100 million, while an EC 155 (12 seats)
is some VND180 million, excluding other fees.
Nguyen Duc Khuynh, an official of the Department of
Culture, Sport and Tourism of Quang Ninh province, says
that the price is prohibitive. Meanwhile, Nguyen Bich Thuy
of Exotissimo travel agent suggests that prices need to drop
by some 30 – 40 per cent, meaning a 15 minute Halong Bay
flight would come in at under VND2 million.
CLOSE UP
timeout
17
High pricing comes down to a shortage of supply. There is
just one major player - Vietnam Services Flight Company – and
they have just seven helicopters in the north and four in the
south. Furthermore, these helicopters are used for many pur-
poses and are not always available for tourism.
“This industry needs more small helicopters and suppliers
which can make tours more flexible and cheaper,” says Ke, add-
ing: “However, there are complicated regulations and policies
which discourage other suppliers.”
This is evidenced by the fact that many companies which
dipped a toe in the market in the 90s, such as Heli Union and
Daewoo, have since pulled out, leaving just one domestic sup-
plier. Such a monopoly is no use to either tourists or agents,
but as yet there is no sign that things are set to change in the
near future.
Choppy times
While many in the travel business are working hard to create dynamic new
tourism products, helicopter tours remain an under-exploited option. Words
by
Nhung Nguyen