Electric tourist cars to hit Hanoi in February

Tourists will be able to travel around the Hoan Kiem lake and Hanoi Old Quarter on electric cars as from February 2010, an official told VietNamNet.
The vice chairman of Hoan Kiem District, Nguyen Quoc Hoa, said in an interview with VietNamNet that this type of car will not only serve tourists but also passengers without bulky luggage.
Hoa said that there will be four routes for the electric cars but initially, just two routes will open around the Old Quarter and Hoan Kiem lake.
Besides two major stations, the electric cars will stop every 200 to 300m.
Each car has up to 12 seats, with a ticket price set at around 10,000 dong per tour. Tickets are sold on the car and at stations. Around 12 electric cars have been imported.
This is the first time Hanoi has used this type of vehicle. However, other tourist sites and resorts have used them. They include Hung Kings Temple in Phu Tho, Sapa, Da Lat and Hoi An.
It follows a decision last October, when Hanoi authorities agreed to allow Hoan Kiem district to use electric cars in the Old Quarter to serve tourists. Recently the city allowed the Dong Xuan JS Company to import 20 electric cars.