Hanoi to ban vehicles around Hoan Kiem Lake to attract tourists

Hanoi to ban vehicles around Hoan Kiem Lake to attract tourists



A corner of Hoan Kiem (Sword) Lake in Hanoi. Photo: Ngoc Thang

Hanoi is set to ban all vehicles on streets around Hoan Kiem (Sword) Lake every evening from Friday to Sunday starting September 1 to make it tourist-friendly.

They will be pedestrians-only from 7 p.m. to midnight, and relevant agencies will assign personnel to regulate traffic and prevent possible congestion elsewhere as a result, according to Hanoi Transport Department.

Several bus routes will be modified to avoid the banned areas.

Around the area, there will be 18 parking lots for buses and cars and 57 for motorbikes with a capacity of more than 600 cars and 2,700 motorbikes.

The capital got its first walking-only street in 2004 when a section of Hang Dao Street was made off-limits to vehicles.

A decade later more walking streets were designated in the old quarter: like Hang Buom, Hang Giay, Luong Ngoc Quyen, Ma May, Dao Duy Tu and Ta Hien.

From September 1 the city will also lift a midnight curfew on restaurants, bars, cafés, karaoke parlors and others in another move to promote tourism.

They will be allowed to remain open until 2 a.m. on Friday, Saturday and Sunday.

~News courtesy of Thanh Nien~

Hue plans audio guides, free Wi-Fi for tourists

Hue plans audio guides, free Wi-Fi for tourists



The Nguyen Citadel in Hue. Photo: Ho Cau/VNAThe Nguyen Citadel in Hue.

The former imperial city Hue is going to install an audio guide system in five languages to serve visitors at its attractions.

Phan Thanh Hai, director of the Center for Preservation of Hue Former Citadel Relics, said audio guides are being planned for major tomb sites and the royal citadel.

Hue was the seat of the Nguyen Dynasty from 1802 until the end of feudal Vietnam in 1945.
v Hai said the system will be developed with private investment and tourists will have to pay to access the guides, apart from entrance tickets.

It is unclear when the new service will be launched and which other languages, besides English, will be chosen.
v The center is also going to introduce e-tickets and free Wi-Fi at the sites soon.

Thua Thien-Hue Province, which is known for the imperial city, pagodas and other natural attractions, received around 58,000 tourists during the National Day weekend between September 2 and 4.

Foreign visitors during the first eight months increased 36.5 percent from a year ago and accounted for more than half of nearly 1.8 million tourists coming to the province.

~News courtesy of Thanh Nien~