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81 years old and my sisters are over 50,
so the cyclo is perfect for us,” she said.
TOURISM APPEAL
Hanoi has nearly 300 pedicabs
registered under four company names.
They ride on three main regulated
routes. However, the real number of
pedicabs on the streets may be 1,000
which means two thirds are not regis-
tered at all.
Pham Quang Nghi, the city’s Party
chief, suggests that the city authority
buy the cyclos from the riders and pro-
vide them with jobs to implement an
outright ban.
The idea has support from some of
the public.
Luu Duc Ke, director of Hanoi Tourist,
said that while cyclos are a recognisable
part of the urban landscape, the business
has become totally disorganised. Tour-
ists no longer feel safe in the pedicabs,
due to concerns about accidents and the
stressful atmosphere of Hanoi’s traffic
jams, he said. Ke’s company no longer
uses cyclos in Hanoi following a rash of
customer complaints. Instead, they use
them in Can Tho or Hue City.
“Small streets with pavements full
of motorbikes are not suitable for main-
taining this aged form of transporta-
tion,” said Thu Ha, a 31 year old teacher
in Hanoi.
However, there are many protesters,
including travel agents, tourists and local
citizens. Many tourists would feel regret
at the loss of the cyclo. “Going around
the Old Quarter without the cyclo ride
would be a mistake,” said Anthony.
Malou, a tourist from France, said:
“I can not think about the day Hanoi will
not have any cyclos. We can not have
this feeling in France.”
Cyclo riders, are mostly around 60
years old with a low level of education.
They are very worried about the situation.
56 year old rider, Pham Van Hoa,
said that he and his family make ends
meet through his job. “Banning cyclos
will bring us many difficulties,” he said.
Another rider of the same age, Le Van
Duc is also concerned: “At my age, no
one wants to hire me for a job. It will be
very hard for me if I can not ride a cyclo
any more.”
Do Anh Thu, the founder and own-
er of first cyclo company in Vietnam,
Sans Souci is sad and disappointed. In
the 1980s he went against his elders
and decided to become a cyclo rider.
Thu is now being hailed as a saviour
of Hanoi cyclos after his work to stop
a ban.
“Millions of motorbikes, private
cars, thousands of taxis, and poor in-
frastructure are the main reasons for
traffic jams, not the cyclo,” he said.
In 2011, even the Hanoi Depart-
ment of Culture, Sport and Tourism has
admitted as much.
Sadly, due to difficult license and
other procedures, the number of legal
pedicabs has not increased for a long
time, while the number of illegal pedi-
cabs has surged.
Many travel agents protest against
banning cyclos in Hanoi. Ung Trong Tu,
vice chairman of the Hanoi Travel Club,
says that cyclos are an iconic draw for
Hanoi’s tourism industry, like tuk tuks
in Cambodia or Thailand.
“The city needs to use administra-
tive measures to make cyclos operate
in accordance with regulations instead
of banning them,” he said.
Nguyen Thi Huyen, vice director of
Vietran Tour, said that many of her cus-
tomers specifically request cyclo rides:
“Getting rid of cyclos means losing a
traditional aspect of Vietnamese culture
and it would be difficult to bring it back
once it’s gone.”
Dr. Vu The Long, a member of the
executive board of the UNESCO Hanoi
Association explains that if people feel
unsafe in a cyclo, it is not only because
of the cyclo itself, but because of the
whole picture of the traffic, with many
other vehicles crowding the roads.
He recommends that Vietnam learn
from Japan, Holland and Thailand to
control cyclos. He says Holland uses cyc-
los but they organise them very well and
modify their design to suit today’s streets
and help the traffic flow smoother.
Pham Trung Luong, the deputy
director of the Institute of Tourism
Development Research Unit suggests:
“On the aspect of traffic management,
the idea of banning cyclos in Hanoi
may be reasonable. But on the cultural
and tourism aspect, it is not a proper
decision because the cyclo has long
played an important role in Hanoi’s
life and soul. Instead of banning them,
the authority should re-plan the streets
which allow them. On these streets, in
certain hours, motorbikes should be
forbidden.”
SOCIETY AT LARGE
Millions of motor-
bikes, private cars,
thousands of taxis,
and poor infrastructure
are the main reasons for
traffic jams, not the cyclo
Do Anh Thu
The founder of Sans Souci